


New Beginnings

by suseagull04



Series: Hope for the Homeless series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27898957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suseagull04/pseuds/suseagull04
Summary: Regina's first year as Henry's mom brings a lot of challenges, both expected and unexpected. Can she overcome them to have the family she and Henry deserve? Sequel to Hope for the Homeless.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Queen of Hearts | Cora, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood, Henry Mills & Robin Hood
Series: Hope for the Homeless series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042944
Comments: 81
Kudos: 25
Collections: OQ Christmas Fics





	1. January 1- New Year's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season and great 2021, when hopefully we'll be able to safely see each other in person again! This fic is the sequel to Hope for the Homeless (which you can also find within my fics on this site, the links are also on Twitter attached to the post for this story) and follows Regina’s first year with Henry, Robin, and Roland, which has a few surprises. Huge thank you to Shay for betaing this! This first chapter happens on New Year’s Day, so I incorporated a New Year’s Eve prompt I got during OQ Prompt Party. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Regina woke on January first and looked over to glance at the clock, only to find that it wasn't where she expected it to be. She then remembered that she had stayed at Robin's the night before since they had stayed awake long past the new year talking and getting to know each other better. 

She turned on her side, finally found a clock and was amazed at the time. She wasn't normally someone who liked sleeping in, but she and Robin had been up so late getting to know each other and yes, kissing many more times than just the classic kiss at the stroke of midnight, that it should be no surprise to her that she had slept long past her usual hour.

When they had agreed a week ago to make plans for the New Year, Regina had never expected anything like what Robin had planned for them. He had insisted on making all of the arrangements, leaving her to wonder what they would be doing for the evening. All she had gotten out of him was that their plans would not require any specific attire or a fancy outfit. 

She was quickly learning that Robin was a man who revelled in simplicity, favoring nights spent at home rather than an elegant evening out, and though New Year’s Eve was typically a night for all things extravagant, his holiday plans for them had been no exception to his usual habits. He had invited her over to his house, promising a home-cooked meal and a quiet evening, a relief for her after the rush of the holiday season, including the annual after-Christmas sale at Regal Trinkets. When she had arrived at his apartment, the smell of lasagna and garlic bread, which she had told him was her favorite meal, filled the air. During the whirlwind that had been their acquaintance so far, she had challenged him to a cook-off, and she had grinned when she had realized that he had taken her up on it.

To her simultaneous disappointment and smug satisfaction, his lasagna hadn't passed the test. She had a secret ingredient, one that made her recipe much more flavorful: red pepper flakes. They gave the Italian entree a kick that she hadn't found in any other version of her favorite recipe. 

Once she had done the dishes (ignoring Robin's protests that she was his guest), they had sat in front of a roaring fire, trading stories about their pasts. She learned that Robin himself had been left on the doorstep of a shelter when he was an infant and had worked hard to get everything he had in life. His story was so similar to the way she had left Henry, she remembered with remorse. 

The thought had been banished quickly, however, at the sight of a picture frame on his mantle. In it, Robin was smiling, clearly laughing when the picture was taken, a little monkey clinging to his back. He had dark curly hair, chocolate eyes, and dimples that were the only indicators of the pair's familial connection. 

She felt arms wrap around her and she spun around, startled.

Robin's hands immediately left her, palms outstretched. "Don't worry, love. It's just me, and I'm sorry."

Still shuddering, she willed her heartbeat to return to a normal rate. Robin would never harm her in any way. She was sure of that.

His use of the endearment helped. She had never really been a fan of many of them, thinking they were too possessive, too diminutive for her taste.  _ Love _ , though, was different somehow. While it was much too soon to voice any feelings between them, she knew that Robin was committed to seeing where this relationship would lead them, and she admired that about him.

Before him, she had never known anything like this. While she had loved Daniel, Henry's father, with all her heart, she had never experienced this connection that had solidified in only a matter of days. She remembered the day that had changed everything for her, the day she had met Henry,  _ her son _ , for the first time. She had been so consumed by the emotions overwhelming her that day that she had barely acknowledged Robin, how he had been there for her like no one else. Last night, however, she had taken time to make sure he knew how much she appreciated that he convinced her to confront the worst part of her past with kisses that left them both breathless, hands roaming, exploring contours hitherto undiscovered. 

Once they had finally decided to go to sleep, he had insisted that she sleep in his bed and that he would take the couch. Now she was grateful for that stubbornness- she had had such a restful sleep that she wondered what had finally woken her up.

The answer was soon apparent when she heard voices outside the door. "Papa, we need to wake Gina up and give her breakfast!"

"Hush, Roland," the man who had helped change her life forever warned. "Regina might still be sleeping."

She sat up and chuckled. Tink had taken both Henry and Robin's son, Roland, for the evening, and apparently she had slept through her dropping off the boys that morning. "You can both come in."

With no hesitation, the door burst open and not just two, but all three of the men she was starting to love more and more every day came toward her. Roland and Henry bounded onto the bed, while Robin took the slightly more dignified approach of sitting on the edge, letting the two youngest people in the room claim the spaces closest to her. Regina could tell that he wanted to be closer to her though, to give her a kiss to start their day. 

He set a tray she hadn't noticed before on her lap. "We thought we'd let you sleep and make you breakfast," he explained.

Glancing at their clothes and neatly combed hair, Regina asked, eyebrows raised. "When did Tink drop them off?"

He grinned sheepishly. "About an hour ago. She said they wanted to see us."

"Did you?" she asked, her attention returning to the two boys beside her, smiling at them.

"Yeah!" Henry informed her eagerly. "Robin said we could make you breakfast while you slept, that it would be a nice surprise for you when you woke up."

"He was right," Regina told him, glancing at a nicely arranged plate of eggs and fruit. "It was so nice of you boys to make this for me, thank you."

"You're welcome," they chorused. 

"I cut the strawberries!" Roland informed her proudly, pointing to the fruit, which were all cut in different sizes. 

"I can see that! You did such a wonderful job!" she praised. Her relationship with him was still so new, but she wanted to make sure he knew his work was appreciated, even if it wasn't as good as an adult's.

He beamed and Robin asked next, looking from Henry to Regina, "So what are you two doing for the rest of the day?"

They exchanged glances and shrugged. "I don't know yet," Regina pondered. ""I suppose we should take down the tree at some point…" She offered the suggestion as a way to distract both her and Henry from coming events. She had given him the paperwork for the court hearing that would determine if he could stay with her for good on Christmas, and while he had been over the moon, she knew that he was just as nervous about the hearing as she was. It would determine their future, and for two people who had spent a decade in uncertainty, that was a frightening concept.

"Can we please not do that today though?" Henry asked, eyes wide, apparently appalled at her suggestion.

She glanced from him to Robin, trying to understand why that wasn’t a viable option for their day’s activity. "You don't take your tree down on New Year's Day?" When both emphatically shook their heads, she asked, "Then when do you do it?" Her mother had been strict about the fact that the Christmas tree always had to come down on the last holiday of the season (had been strict about a lot of things, in fact), and while Regina supposed that she had never liked the tradition either, always wanting to wait just a little longer when she was Henry's age, she had adopted the tradition when she had a place of her own without any conscious thought to why she was still adhering to her mother's ways.

Robin chuckled sheepishly while Henry grinned. "I am easily convinced to keep the tree up at the shelter until about a week from now. As I told you when we met, I like doing things that make people happy, especially around this time of year, and if keeping the tree up another week will bring a smile to people's faces, I always consider the sacrifice worth it. Besides, don't you ever wish that the magic of the Christmas season would last throughout the year?"

She nodded. Though her mother had always turned a blind eye to suffering around them, until the day that she had had to leave Henry on their doorstep, Regina had always thought that they deserved more and always wanted to help them. 

She glanced at Henry when she thought of that miserable day. She never wanted him to know just how bad her life had been at the time for her to make the decision that had kept them apart for over a decade. She wanted to focus on the present, show him that she loved him and would always be there for him.

The past week had been a good start. Because she had never given him up for adoption and taken him to Arrows to Hope instead, she would have less trouble getting him back. Robin had helped her set up a court date that wasn't too far away so her son could be hers again soon, but with that came a bunch of butterflies in her stomach, and, she suspected Henry's as well, though he may not let them show. He was so used to being strong that she worried opening up to her might be difficult for him at first.

That didn't mean he couldn't still act like a young boy sometimes, though. Her son looked at her now. “Please can we keep the tree up longer, Mom? Please?”

She laughed. "All right, it can stay up for one more week. But after that, I want your help taking it down, got it?"

He looked appalled. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

She was confused at his indignation, but then Robin explained, "We always have everyone at the shelter help decorate, but then they have to help clean it up too."

She nodded. "I like that arrangement, that seems fair."

"It is!" Roland exclaimed. "And that way, the work doesn't take as long for everyone if everybody does a little bit!" He was clearly at an age when he was still learning to share and clean up after himself, and she thought it was sweet that he wanted to share everything he knew about the topic. 

Standing, she directed them, "Maybe you can show me that by helping me clean up the dishes?"

One after the other, they did as she asked. When they were done, she suggested to Henry that they leave Robin and Roland to themselves for a while, but all three protested, Roland insisting that he  _ had  _ to show Henry the new game he got for Christmas.

*******

That was how Henry and his mom ended up spending the majority of New Year's Day with Robin and Roland playing one game after another, then crashing on the couch to watch a movie (which, of course, inevitably turned into two). 

At last, Henry's mom coaxed him into his coat before opening the door to leave for the day. As they stepped out, Henry saw Robin's hand wrap around his mom's as he pleaded, "Wait."

Henry went ahead, but looked back to see Robin use their joined hands to bring her closer so he could kiss her softly, just a light peck. 

Henry saw his mom whisper something to Robin when they broke apart. She didn't need to worry about him, her car was just outside the house, but he figured she still might not want to leave a ten-year-old on his own for long.

Robin smiled mischievously and said something in return. She smiled up at him and whispered one last thing before she turned and walked away, likely leaving him staring after her.

On the way home, his mom asked him, "So what do you think this year will bring, Henry? Do you have any resolutions, things you want to do this year?"

Remembering the year before, he smiled. Last year he had wanted something impossible. He remembered when Robin had asked them all that very same question…

********

_ "So," Robin asked, a hand on his chin as he addressed them. They were all sitting in a circle on the floor after they had just played a round of tag. "What are everyone's new year's resolutions this year?" _

_ "What's a res'lution?" Roland asked on Henry's right. _

_ "It's something you want to do this year," Henry explained to the younger boy. "Like learning to ride a bike, or being nicer to people." He said that last comment as he looked at Gideon. If anyone could use that as their New Year's resolution, it was him.  _

_ "Exactly, Henry," Robin praised. "Do you want to go first? What's something you want to do this year?" _

_ Henry fell silent, and probably thinking he didn't have an answer yet, Robin moved on to Neal, who was sitting beside him. Little did Robin know that it wasn't that Henry didn't know what he wanted to do this year- he did. The problem was that it was an impossible dream, one that very few of the other kids at the shelter ever got to see become a reality unless they had family who lived at the shelter with them.  _

_ "Henry?" Robin asked, bringing him out of the reverie he had fallen into. "Do you know what your New Year's resolution is going to be?" _

_ "Finding a family," Henry whispered, just loudly enough for his friends and Robin to hear.  _

_ They all fell silent at his words, so quiet that had one flown by, Henry would've been able to hear the flutter of a hummingbird's wings. _

_ "That's an admirable dream, Henry," Robin said, breaking the still atmosphere that had swept across the room after he had spoken. Henry could hear that Robin's voice was tight- was he said for them? Probably, he thought. Robin loved all of them as if they were his own children- which was one of the things Henry had always loved about him. "But it's important to remember that everyone here is a family too." _

_ Henry smiled. He knew Robin was right, and he did think that everyone at the shelter was a family. At the same time though, he wanted a family of his own. "I know." _

_. _

********

Thinking about that memory now, Henry only knew one thing: "I don't care what happens. All I know is the best thing that could ever happen to me already did. After all, I got you."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she reached over to cover his hand with one of hers. "And from now on you always will have me, I promise."

They continued driving through the town, both anxious to see what this year would bring.

  
  
  



	2. February 1- Regina's Birthday

Henry was nervous. It was his mom's birthday and she had given him so much since she found him at Robin’s shelter a little over a month ago, especially since he was officially named her son a week ago, so he had planned a few surprises for her.

He carefully set down the tray and opened the door. Shocked that she hadn't woken yet, he carried in the tray and once he was closer, he yelled, "SURPRISE!"

He saw her eyes widen. To her, it must have seemed like he was holding out a plate that seemed filled to the brim. His mom was a picky eater. She only liked healthy food, which he would never completely understand. She needed to have sweet things in her life too, especially on her birthday.

Sure enough, she asked, "What's all this? You didn't make all of this by yourself, did you?"

"Well, no," he admitted sheepishly. “Robin helped.”

Her eyebrows rose. He didn’t know why she was surprised, Robin was at their house all the time. Of course, Henry had readily agreed when Robin had suggested that he and Roland should help Henry with Regina’s birthday breakfast preparations. 

“You invited Robin over to help?” she asked.

He nodded and explained hesitantly, “You always want me to be careful when I cook and make sure that a grown-up’s around, just in case. So that’s what I did.” He had wanted to surprise her with an omelette or strawberry French toast- one of the few things she thought was unhealthy that she would actually eat. Robin and Roland, of course, had been eager to help. He could recall many afternoons baking with Robin at the shelter... 

********

_ Seven-year-old Henry stood at the counter in the shelter's kitchen, a spoon raised in his right hand. He was surrounded by Roland and Robin and a few other kids from the shelter, each of them wearing an apron that matched the one Henry himself had on.  _

_ "Now boys and girls, don't mess up my kitchen," Mrs Lucas, who always insisted that everyone called her Granny, warned, staring down each of them (including Robin, Henry noticed, making him giggle) in turn. "I already have a diner and shelter kitchen to manage. I don't need to add cleaning up your mess to my to-do list, do you hear me?" _

_ "Yes, Granny," they chorused.  _

_ "All right everyone, let's get to work making Neal's birthday cake!" Robin said excitedly when Granny left the room. "There are wet and dry ingredients in this cake, so boys, you're in charge of the dry ingredients, while I'll help the girls with wet ingredients." _

_ "You don't have to, Robin, we can do it!" Henry's best friend Grace told the adult, beaming proudly. She probably could, too, Henry thought with a smile. Grace was really pretty, and good at  _ **_everything_ ** _ she did. He had had a crush on her for as long as he could remember.  _

_ "Yes, I do. I know you're all very good at baking, but I just want to make sure that no eggshells get in the cake batter." _

_ "Okay," Grace gave in.  _

_ With that settled, they began their tasks. Everything was going really well, Henry thought as he gazed around the room at his friends. _

_ He would never know if Gideon had done it on purpose or not, but the next thing he knew, flour had landed on his face and shirt. Glancing around, he found the older boy, who had always been a bully, holding a handful of flour, ready to strike again, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.  _

_ "Gideon, stop," he warned. "Do you want us all to get in trouble with Granny?" _

_ "She'll be fine," he answered dismissively. "We'll clean it all up when we're done. In the meantime, FOOD FIGHT!" _

_ He threw two hands full of flour in Henry's direction, and before he knew it, Henry was covered in the white stuff from head to toe. It had even gotten on his face, including close to his eyes and in his mouth a little. _

_ Spitting it out, he grabbed his own handful of flour and started chasing after Gideon, determined to make sure he didn’t get away with being a bully for once. However, before they could do any real damage to Granny's neat kitchen, Robin had caught them both by the strings on their aprons. "Boys, what did Granny and I tell you about being allowed to cook in her kitchen?" _

_ "That we always need to be on our best behavior," Henry recited obediently. He was frustrated. He had followed the rules, it was Gideon who had misbehaved first! All he had been trying to do was make sure the older boy didn't get away with it. _

_ Gideon glared at him as Robin nodded, but Henry didn't know why. All he was doing was answering Robin's question with the right answer. Maybe Gideon thought he was a know-it-all, but Henry knew he had to do the right thing. _

_ "Exactly, Henry," the older man praised him. "And were you boys behaving?" _

_ "He started it!" Gideon shouted suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at Henry.  _

_ "No, I didn't!" Henry protested. He knew it would be no good though. Gideon was good at getting everyone to believe him, especially the adults. Henry and his friends knew Gideon was a bully, though. _

_ Robin looked from one boy to the other, obviously trying to figure out who was telling the truth. "It doesn't matter who started the fight, boys. What's important is that neither of you followed the rules, so there have to be consequences for both of you." _

_ "But it's Neal's birthday cake!" Henry protested. Robin knew that Neal was one of Henry's best friends, along with Grace. Not getting to celebrate his birthday would be so unfair when all he was trying to do was make sure Gideon didn't get away with everything, especially right under a grown-up's nose.  _

_ Robin did nothing but look at Henry for a long time. He knew how close he was to Neal, that even though they didn’t have the same mommy and daddy, he was the closest thing to a brother that Henry had ever had. "All right," he sighed. "You can go to Neal's birthday party. But I think you helping with his cake is over for the day, agreed?" _

_ Henry frowned. He really wanted to help bake like he always did, especially since it was for one of his best friends. However, he knew that when Robin said something like this, he meant it. He wasn't serious often- Henry often thought that he was like a big kid himself. However, on the few occasions when he was, Henry knew the best thing to do was to listen to him, even if he didn't like what he heard. "Okay." _

_ For the remainder of the morning before Neal's birthday party, he spent some time telling stories to the younger kids. While he had started learning how to read before he was even in kindergarten, he knew he couldn't read everything (the adults were afraid that some of the books the older kids read would scare him, but he didn't think they would). However, what he could get his hands on, he shared with the younger kids, even though there were always plenty of adults around to read to them. He told them other stories that they didn't have at the shelter too that he made up as he shared them: stories about kings and queens, villains of all kinds, and of course, knights in shining armor. He liked making up his own stories. It helped him and the other kids escape to a place that wasn’t the shelter. Robin, Will, Granny and the others did everything they could to make the house a home and they all loved it there, but if the other kids were like him, Henry knew that they all wondered what it would be like to have a family of their own. His most popular stories with the younger kids, boys and girls alike, were the stories he made up about their mommies and daddies. He always liked to imagine them all in the best jobs: teachers, activists, firefighters, policemen, doctors and nurses, famous artists and writers. _

_ But he saved the best job of all for his mommy and daddy. They were superheroes who spent every waking moment trying to save the world. In his stories, they had even given him to the shelter to give him his best chance. He didn't know if he believed that every single day, especially when he was sad and no one was around to give him a hug and tell him that everything would be okay. That's what Robin had always told him though, and Robin wouldn't lie to him- or at least, he didn't think so. Robin had always been Henry's favorite grown-up. He was never anything but a good man, and Henry wanted to be just like him one day.  _

_ All the same though, he still wasn't happy that he hadn't gotten to finish helping bake Neal's birthday cake. All he had been trying to do was make sure someone stood up to Gideon. He sat on his bed while outside, he could hear the sound of kids playing in the last light of the setting sun in the fenced-in yard thinking about how unfair it all was when he heard a knock on the door of the room he shared with Neal and a few other boys his age. _

_ He glanced up to find Robin standing in the doorway. "What's up?" he asked. "Why aren't you out there playing with everyone?" _

_ Henry bent his knees, placing his feet on the bedspread beneath him, and hugged his knees. "I'm mad." _

_ Robin furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? Didn't you have fun at Neal's birthday party?"  _

_ "Of course!" Henry assured him, his eyes lighting up. He frowned again, remembering why they were having his conversation. "I just wish I'd gotten to finish baking the cake. He's my best friend, Robin." _

_ Robin approached the bed and gestured to it. "Can I sit down?" _

_ Reluctantly, Henry nodded.  _

_ Robin sat beside him, then asked, "Did you not understand why I made the decision to not let you help anymore, Henry?" _

_ "Because we were throwing flour," Henry recalled. "Both of us. I know that I threw flour too, but all I was trying to do was not let Gideon get away with everything like he always does. I wanted to be a hero like my mommy and daddy." _

_ Robin smiled. "I love that you want to be a hero, but Henry, sometimes being a hero means asking someone else for help." _

_ "That's being a tattletale though," Henry pointed out. He thought Robin already knew that, "No one likes a tattletale." _

_ “That may be true,” Robin admitted. “But no one knows when you or someone else needs help unless you ask for it. Your ankle would have kept hurting forever if Grace hadn’t run for help when you fell off the bike last year, right?” _

_ “Yeah,” Henry said. There were only two bikes at Arrows to Hope, and he and Grace had taken a turn on them in the shelter’s paved parking lot, with strict instructions from the adults not to go near the road. They would have known if they hadn’t followed the rules because the kitchen window faced the parking lot, and even though she owned the diner too, Granny always seemed to be at the shelter’s kitchen window keeping a watchful eye on them. Henry had been racing Grace around the parking lot and suddenly, it seemed like he had gone too fast on one of the turns, because all of a sudden he fell sideways, hitting the curb of the sidewalk with his ankle and twisting it. It had hurt so much, but Grace, who of course had seen what happened, ran inside to get Granny, who had fixed him up in no time.  _

_ Robin nodded, knowing that Henry understood his point. “Good. And you know you can tell me anything, right?” _

_ “Yeah,” Henry answered with a small smile. While Will, Emma, and the other adults were fun to play with, he had always been closest to Robin. He was the closest thing Henry had ever had to a daddy.  _

_ Robin nodded. "Then tell me next time something like this happens. It's always better for someone to know the full story than to guess and get it wrong, yeah?" _

_ Henry nodded.  _

_ Robin reached out to give him a hug, which Henry happily returned. He didn't know what he would do about Gideon in the future, but he did know that he didn’t know what he would do without Robin and didn't want to ever lose him. _

********

Henry had known that he would need to ask for Robin's help for today's cooking adventure as well, so he had. The three of them had had fun rummaging through their kitchen finding everything they needed, then cooking the best possible breakfast for his mom. 

She looked at the tray now. "French toast and chocolate milk? Henry, honey, I love that you made all of this, but it's too much."

"You need something sweet on your birthday!" he told her matter-of-factly. *It only comes once a year, after all.”

She smiled and without another word started eating. He watched anxiously as she bit into the French toast. He wanted her to like what he had made her.

Her eyes widened. "Henry, this is delicious!"

"I thought you'd like it," he replied. "I know you love apples."

She nodded, moaning as she bit into her savory breakfast. She looked up at him then, apparently noticing that he didn't hang his own plate. "Did you make some for yourself, I hope? You need to eat too, Henry."

"I know!" Henry told her. "Roland, Robin and I had some before we made yours. Normally, Robin said he would have done yours first, but he wanted it to be warm for you."

********

She smiled softly. Robin was always thinking of things like this, considerate man that he was. "That was nice of him. What do you want to do today, Henry?"

He looked appalled. "Today's about you! You get to pick."

"Hmm…" she pondered. She had plans with Robin later that night, but truthfully, what she wanted most today was to spend time with the boy who was now officially her son again. They had both been on edge during the trial, even with Robin and a few other friends there to support them, but she knew that Henry had to have felt the same way she did. Her knees had been shaking when she stood behind the podium and testified to Judge Hopper why she had given her son up and verified that she was in fact ready to claim him as her own once more. She was very much aware that her fate and, more importantly, the future of her son rested in this man’s hands. 

But to her surprise and overwhelming relief, the judge had been kind and fair, and had given them both his blessing and well-wishes for the future. Now that that ordeal was over, she just wanted to enjoy this precious time she had with the wonderful boy who was her flesh and blood- nothing more, nothing less. "How about a day of watching movies in our pajamas? Or baking, but it seems like you've already cooked today. Do either of those options sound like fun?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. 

So that's what they did. The day was filled with games and some of their favorite movies. When Regina was getting ready for Robin to arrive (Will had already arrived to watch Henry), she heard her phone ring. 

She looked at it and smiled as she answered. "Hi, Daddy,"

"Hello Regina," a frigid, detached female voice answered her.

Regina's blood ran cold. She loved her father and had always answered his calls over the years, even though he had never stood up to his wife and persuaded her to allow her to keep her son all those years ago. They had always been close, so forgiving him had been difficult, but doable. Hearing from him today was nothing short of expected, something she had looked forward to all day. 

Her mother, Cora Mills, however, was another matter entirely. Ever since she had finally been able to leave home, she had had an almost nonexistent relationship with her mother, which had stayed that way for her own sanity, and for the younger Henry's sake as well once he had come to live with her. Even when she had given him up over a decade ago (a day she refused to think about right now, knowing that Robin's arrival was imminent), she had barely spoken to her mother when she had lived with her parents for the two years immediately following Henry's birth. Hearing from her now was nothing short of disastrous. At the same time though, Regina had to admit that she should've seen something like this coming. Her mother tried to contact her every year on her birthday and the holidays, so she didn't know why she thought this year would be any different. Maybe it was because  _ she _ was so different. Instead of a lonely woman who was afraid of her past, she was a girlfriend, a mother, a friend. She had people who counted on her now, and she relied on them as well. Her world was much brighter than it had been, and though she had disliked him when they first met, she had Robin to thank for that. 

"What do you want, Mother?" she inquired coldly. "If this is just another call to try to get me to talk to you again, you have another think coming."

"You won't believe me, but it's not," her mother claimed. "Regina, your father-"

"Is perfectly fine, and isn't enough to give you the excuse to try to get me to talk to you again," Regina said quickly. "Goodbye, Mother."

"No! Regina, he passed away early this morning."

That statement stopped Regina in her tracks. She sank down on the bed beside her and felt someone's arm come around her. Looking up into Robin's beautiful blue eyes, she subconsciously burrowed further into his embrace. "What?" 

"He had a heart attack last night. He's gone, Regina."

Gathering her resolve, she reminded herself that her mother did things like this, used desperate schemes to attempt to regain contact with Regina, which almost worked on occasion, but never succeeded in the end. "I don't believe you, Mother. Put Daddy on the phone, I know this is just another one of your sick, twisted plots to get me to talk to you again." She felt Robin's arm tighten at the mention of who was on the other end of the line, and for that, she was grateful. Once upon a time, she wouldn't have relied on anyone for anything, but over the last two months, she had come to depend on him far too much. She doubted she could get through this conversation without him now.

"Didn't you hear me, stupid girl? I can't," Cora reiterated, and it was only then that she heard her voice crack, the first genuine emotion Regina had gleaned from her in years that wasn't anger. "Your father's gone, Regina."

"I still don't believe it," Regina repeated. "Give me the coroner's number or his doctor. They're more trustworthy than you."

Once her mother had given her the number of the doctor, before Regina could hang up, Cora said, "I hope we can use this opportunity to start over, Regina. It's what your father wanted."

"I make no promises," Regina said. "I'm going to find out if what you're telling me is the truth, then we'll see."

"Very well," Cora sighed. "I love you, Regina."

It was the same thing she said at the end of every call, but Regina was never inclined to believe her. "Goodbye, Mother," she sighed before ending the call and turning to Robin. Trying to lighten the mood, she said drily, "So, that was my mother."

"I gathered that," Robin said, his fingers tracing patterns down her arm. "Are you all right?"

Regina snickered. "Am I all right? My mother, the woman who enforced her will on me for years, the woman who made me  _ give up my son,  _ is now possibly using my love for my father to manipulate me. And on top of all of that, my father, who until Daniel was the only man I had ever loved, might be dead. No, I'm not all right."

He sighed. "You’re right, I apologize. Perhaps the first thing you should do is verify the state of your father's health. There's no point in worrying about him unless you know you need to."

She nodded. That sounded reasonable. "Okay."

She dialed the hospital where her mother lived. "Boston Memorial, this is Anna, how can I help you?" a cheerful female voice asked. 

"Hi, this is Regina Mills," she began. "I'm calling to inquire if you've had a patient there, Henry Mills."

From the nurse's voice, she immediately knew what had happened. "Oh, I'm so sorry about your father, Miss Mills."

"So he's- he's-" Regina stammered, tears immediately filling her eyes. So her mother had been telling the truth. Her father, her kind, loving, gentle father was gone, while her pompous, manipulative mother was still living. Why was life so cruel to her? She needed to know one detail though: "How?"

"I'm afraid it's not my place to tell you that, Miss Mills," the overly bubbly nurse told her. "But I can put you through to Doctor Whale if you want."

"Yes please," Regina choked out through the tears that were still streaming down her face. She needed answers. This day couldn't get any worse from here, could it?

Apparently, it could. When the doctor got on the phone, he told her that her father had passed away from a heart attack, that the vital organ had been having problems for years. After getting as much information as she could, she thanked him and hung up, only then remembering that Robin was sitting beside her, his arm around her. He was probably still hoping to go on the romantic evening out he had likely planned, but that was the last thing she felt like doing.

Still, though, she was well aware that her mother could have paid off the doctor and the nurse to lie to her. So she did the only thing she could do: she called the one person she knew her mother couldn’t manipulate. After her cousin answered, she skipped the usual pleasantries and asked bluntly, “Z, is it true?”

She could practically see the lids go over Zelena’s crystal-clear blue eyes as she heard her sigh. “Yes, Regina, it’s true.”

The world around her crumbled into pieces, and Regina crumpled, feeling Robin’s arms tighten around her, her only anchor to reality. “He’s- he’s-” She couldn’t even force herself to say the words. How could her kind, gentle father, the man who had been her rock throughout her childhood and beyond, be gone?

“I’m so sorry, Regina. If you need anything, I’m here.”

Not remembering that Zelena couldn’t see her, Regina nodded, said a hasty goodbye, and hung up the phone. How could her father really be dead? All she wanted to do was cry. 

She told Robin as much, but all he did was give her one of those infuriating smiles of his. How was he always so cheerful whenever her world seemed to be crashing down around her? She was grateful for it- it was what helped her get through seeing Henry for the first time, after all- but she would never understand it. “I just want to spend your day with you, if you’ll have me. If there is any way I can make your birthday a good one, I want to have the opportunity to do that.”

She sighed. "All I really want to do is wallow."

"Well, we can't have that on your birthday," Robin stated firmly. “The woman I love can’t be miserable, today especially.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “What did you just say?” She could have sworn that she heard three priceless words come out of his mouth, and she found it hard to believe that he had said them so casually on purpose. Robin was more of a romantic than that.

Sure enough, his cheeks burned. “I- I love you, Regina,” he confessed. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way- in fact, I didn’t mean to say it yet at all. But I do mean those words, with all my heart.”

She smiled sadly. “And I love you. And as happy as it makes me that you feel the same way, that doesn’t make me forget what just happened.” 

He frowned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and she hesitated to ask him what he was thinking, but she soon found out regardless: "I'm calling Will."

Her eyebrows rose. "You really think  _ Will  _ of all people can make things better? He knows how to meddle and how to pull off pranks, not comfort someone."

"He does like to interfere in things that aren't his business," Robin acknowledged. "But I think his proclivity for jokes, for making people laugh, is exactly what we need."

She snorted. "Did I ever tell you about the day he and I met? Yes, he's one of my closest friends now, but our acquaintance didn't start out that way."

"Tell me," he requested. So she did.

********

_ Regina was at one of her parents' many parties. This one was to honor a new partnership with the Scarletts, some rich family who had given money to her father's company to help them be more environmentally friendly.  _

_ She had been told by her mother that the Scarletts had a son just a little younger than her, William. Her mother seemed eager for them to meet, determined for her to marry well someday even though she was only ten. She didn’t want anything to do with this William, or anyone else at the party for that matter- other than her father, that is. _

_ She found ways to occupy herself at the party. It was being held at the museum in town, one of the fanciest venues in the area. That also meant that it was one of the best places to go exploring. Regina had always enjoyed science, figuring out how to make things work. The Franklin Institute was the perfect place for her to escape her mother’s overbearing, pretentious ways and have time for herself. _

_ She was standing in front of the wall that depicted the cell phone usage in the museum, fascinated by the little red dots as they popped in and out before her. All of a sudden, she happened to glance at her watch and panicked. Her mother would be wondering where she was, and more importantly, her father too.  _

_ She turned and rushed out of the room, only to run straight into someone. “Oops, sorry,” she apologized, holding out a hand to help him up. _

_ She looked into the blue eyes of a boy who seemed to be slightly younger than her. Once he was standing, she asked, “Do you know where the conference room is? My parents are hosting a party there, and I lost track of time. I’m sure they’re really worried.” _

_ “Sure, I’m here all the time. Follow me!” he beckoned, starting to walk down a dark hallway.  _

_ She followed him, and he led her down twists and turns, so many of them that she began to wonder if he really knew his way around the museum. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked. _

_ “Of course!” he said. “It’s just around the next corner.” _

_ But it wasn’t, and when she looked at her watch, she found it was ten o’clock. She was starting to panic now, and it annoyed her to no end that her companion didn’t share her concern. “We have to get back!” she scolded him. “Your parents must be worried too.” _

_ “Oh, them?” he scoffed. “They’ll be fine. Father never pays much attention to me anyway, and all Mother wants is for me to learn the family business so I can have a good job one day. I'm eight, I have lots of time for that." _

_ "My mother's like that too," she confided to him against her better judgement. He hadn't been very nice to her so far, but she knew what it was like to have parents who never listened to what their children wanted.  _

_ "William, Regina!"  _

_ For once, she welcomed the sound of her mother's voice. She saw her parents and another couple running toward them. "I see you met William after all," Cora said approvingly.  _

_ "Where did you go, son?" his father demanded. "We visit this museum weekly, surely you know your way around." _

_ She glared at the boy. He had led her on a wild goose chase? Seriously? He may not have been the nicest person, but people with even the smallest shred of humanity wouldn't have done what he did.  _

_ Regina's face conveyed nothing but confusion, as did the face of the boy beside her. "This is William," she repeated, disgust evident in her tone. _

_ He held out his hand to her. *Will," he introduced himself as the woman who appeared to be his mother made a noise of disapproval behind them.  _

_ "Regina," she responded in kind, placing her hand in his. No matter what their parents had planned for them, she knew this would be the beginning of an interesting relationship. _

********

"We may have begun with animosity, but our similar upbringings- and our mutual distaste for them- eventually brought us together. He might be a mess, but every time I've needed Will, he's been there for me, and I've done the same for him. I was there for him a few years after we met when he ran away from home, and he did the same for me when Daniel died. He may like to pretend he knows what's best for me, but at the end of the day, I know I can count on him."

Robin nodded. Regina knew that Robin had met Will during their days on the streets, so he would know that what she said was true of Will’s character. He was a prankster, but at his core, he was a good man.

Robin held up his phone. "I'm calling him. I want to be here for you, but it sounds like this is one of those times you need your oldest friend to be here for you, to distract you."

"Robin-" she began, but it was too late. It seemed that the man she loved and was beginning to grow attached to was determined to take care of her, even when she tried to deter him, knowing that she could take care of herself, despite the fact that she was currently dealing with her father’s death and her mother trying to reenter her life on her birthday of all days. 

*******

A few minutes after he called Will, Robin saw that he had made the right decision. The presence of one of her closest friends made Regina come alive. Just as he had thought he would, Will brought his sense of humor and made Regina laugh much more than Robin knew he could. It was good to see Regina laugh, to know that despite everything her mother had overwhelmed her with earlier that evening, she still found ways to smile on a day that she should always enjoy. 

Eventually, Will took his leave, and Robin and Regina were alone once more. “Thank you,” she whispered, their foreheads pressed together after a long kiss that had left them both breathless.

“Anytime, love,” he promised her, holding her in his arms. He meant what he said, too. Ever since he had first met her, he had been determined to make every day a bright one for her, despite the fact that it had seemed that that would never be the case when they first met. He knew she faced difficult times ahead, especially if she honored her father’s dying wish and tried to reconcile with her mother, but no matter what happened, he would be there for her every step of the way.


	3. May 10- Mother's Day

Mother’s Day. It was a day that she typically despised and had steadfastly refused to acknowledge every year, despite her mother’s annual calls, futile attempts to try to convince her daughter to recognize her existence.

This year, however, would be different in more ways than one. She had a son now, something she had never thought would happen, and she was doing something with her mother as well because they had agreed to try to mend their relationship. Regina still wasn't quite sure how her mother had managed to worm her way in at the funeral. She had held fast to her resolve that Henry, and herself by extension, should stay far away from Cora Mills and her cruel ways. But then her mother had opened her mouth, and the rest was history…

*******"

_ "Regina, dear. I see you finally decided your mother deserved some of your precious time?" Cora greeted her daughter.  _

_ Her passive dig at Regina's desire for self-preservation immediately irked her, making her regret that she had ever decided to come, despite her father's last request, so she couldn't resist responding with a comeback instead of words that were a little more kind. "Daddy is. You know that." _

_ "I see," Cora replied, pursing her lips in disapproval as she surveyed her entourage. "Who are these people? Regina, you should know better than to bring ragtag children and some man off the street to such a sombre event." _

_ She felt Robin bristle with anger beside her, and she used their joined hands to bring him closer, using the other arm to pull Henry close. She could feel him trembling slightly but saw that he was putting on a brave face, and her heart swelled. Her son was so brave, and she had Robin to thank for that. The least she could do in return was stand up to her mother for them. _

_ Before she could, however, Robin stepped forward and held out his hand. "Robin Locksley. My son and I wanted to be here for Regina and Henry today." _

_ "Henry?" Cora repeated, her eyebrows at her hairline as her gaze shifted to the one person Regina wanted to shield most from her wrath. "How dare you name that brat after my husband.” _

_ "I'm surprised you're raising him now," she continued. "When did this charming new development occur?" _

_ Regina could hear sarcasm practically dripping from her mother's voice. Holding Henry even closer to her, she said, "Just before Christmas, no thanks to you. Not that that's any of your business." _

_ "It most certainly is my business if we're to do what your father wanted," Cora reminded her. "Or did you plan on keeping this child from me forever? Is this even the same baby you gave to the shelter, or did you make the mistake of procreating at the worst possible time again? Or worse- deciding to raise a child who isn’t your own?" _

_ Regina could feel Henry shaking now, and his fear fueled her fury. At the same time, though, she berated herself. What had she expected, that her mother would play nice? She should have known better, the woman who had raised her didn't know how to do that. She should have never brought her handsome, kind, perfect son into this lioness's den.  _

_ Her hand rubbed soothingly up and down Henry's arm as she shot back, "For your information, yes, this is Daniel's and my son. He is part of my life now whether you like it or not. In fact, he's not just a part of my life, he’s the most important part of it." _

_ Henry's eyes, which had been downcast, focused on the floor beneath his feet, raised to look at her, and her heart ached at the awe in them. Her little boy hadn't deserved what she had done to him thanks to the influence of the woman standing in front of them, and she had vowed every day since she had found him that she would never make him feel unwanted again.  _

_ Of course, her mother couldn't let that comment stand. "The most important part? Really, Regina? It didn't seem that way ten years ago. Your ludicrous business was more important to you then. Does this boy know that? That you abandoned him, cast him off so that your silly little toy store would survive? I've passed by it before, I'm sure you're just barely scraping by, especially with a child to support." _

_ This jab, at least, she had an immediate answer for. "For your information, it's thriving," Regina informed her proudly. She couldn't resist adding, "Not that my finances are any of your business. Besides, this topic is inappropriate for the current setting." _

_ This truth, at least, seemed to occur to her mother as well, which was confirmed when Regina heard her say two words she never thought she'd hear her mother utter: "You're right." _

_ "I-I'm sorry, what was that?" Regina stuttered. She never thought she'd hear her mother say those words.  _

_ "You heard me," Cora muttered. Apparently, she wouldn't give her daughter the satisfaction of hearing such an uncommon phrase fall from her lips twice.  _

_ Robin cleared his throat and changed the subject, clearly wanting an end to the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Shall we find seats?" _

_ "Yes, let's," Regina agreed immediately, squeezing his hand. "Come on, Henry, Roland." _

_ They took their seats in the front row, uncomfortably close to where her mother was sitting on the other side of the aisle. During the funeral, Regina tried to focus on the memories of her father that were shared by those who had loved him, remembering the man her father had been. He would have loved his namesake, she was sure of it, and it broke her heart that these two men whom she loved with all her heart would never meet. Her meetings with her father had never been frequent, due to Regina's desire to stay far away from Cora. But that had made his death all the more devastating. They had never gotten to share nearly as much time together as she wanted, especially over the last eight years, and now it was too late. _

_ After the funeral, she stood in line beside her mother, listening as one person after another conveyed their condolences. So many of them were friends of her mother’s, people who neither knew her nor cared deeply about her loss. Cora Mills surrounded herself with only the best of the best, and it showed as the funeral attendees paraded past in their somber finery. None of them said much to Regina, and when they did, their words were so impersonal that she disregarded them. _

_ It was a relief when Robin and Roland finally stood in front of her. He enveloped her in his warm embrace and she breathed a sigh of relief as she was surrounded by his pine scent, one that, despite herself, she had grown rather fond of in the small amount of time they had been together.  _

_ “Breathe, love,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s almost over.” _

_ The look she gave him was nothing but skeptical. “Almost over? I still have the reception and the burial. This is far from over.”  _

_ His free hand that wasn’t clasped in his son’s came up to rub each of her forearms in turn. “Just remember that you’re not alone in all this. I’m here, and I’d love nothing more than to comfort you, and I know you’d do the same for me.” _

_ She nodded slowly. She had never been the best at comforting others, but she knew that for these three people who had come into her life so recently- Henry, Roland, and Robin- she would do anything she could to see each of them smile. _

_ “You can do this. You don’t have to be strong all the time, you know,” he whispered in her ear. Then, with a chaste kiss on her cheek, he had moved on to her mother and once again, she was alone. _

_ “The nerve of that man,” Cora muttered once he had moved on to Zelena and Regina’s aunts and uncles. “Kissing you in public like we’re at a wedding, not a funeral. Does the man have no sense of propriety?” _

_ Furious on Robin’s behalf, Regina turned and glared at her mother as they walked toward the parking lot. “It was perfectly decent, Mother. All he wanted to do was comfort me. It was sweet.” _

_ “I know nothing about this man, Regina,” Cora scoffed. “He could work at a McDonald’s for all I know. It would be just the sort of occupation a boyfriend of yours would have, and that's just not suitable for someone interested in my daughter.” _

_ Regina wanted to defend Robin, she really did. However, she knew that even though what Robin did with his life was far more noble than anything she had ever done, Cora Mills would never see the person in charge of a homeless shelter as someone her daughter should date. So instead of lashing out in his defense, she remained silent. She valued being a strong, independent woman, but in her mother’s presence, she was a timid young girl once more, as if no time had passed since her childhood. _

_ The burial was even worse, a feat she hadn't thought was possible. She had always hated gravesites, the finality of death that they were a reminder of, and this was no exception. Mindful of the fact that she was being watched, that her mother would expect her to maintain her composure, she fought back the tears that lay just under the surface ever since the tragic event that had led her here. She wanted Henry to know that it was okay to be vulnerable, especially in situations like this, but her mother's presence always extinguished every plan she had to go against Cora's toxic influence.  _

_ She felt Robin's arm around her shoulders, his whispered assurance that, "It's okay to cry, love," and for a moment, she gave in to the grief that had threatened to consume her for days. Two tears escaped her eyes, and before she could hastily wipe them away, Robin's calloused fingers were there, a fact that made her smile. He had always had an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what she needed, even when she didn't know exactly what that was herself. _

_ He held her hand as they walked up to her father's grave, and as she dropped a shovel full of dirt, she whispered, "I love you Daddy, and I'm sorry," regret for the many missed holidays during the years she and her mother had been estranged filling her at the location that she knew was her father’s final resting place _

_ Later at the reception, she tried to stay as far away as she could from the woman who had always made her life miserable, but then she remembered every conversation she and her father had ever had about restoring unity in the family through her reconciliation with her mother, and she knew that today was her best chance to catch her in a mood when she would be more agreeable to any terms Regina set… she hoped. _

_ She found her standing at the exit of the parish hall where they had held the reception, saying farewell to a couple that Regina didn't recognize. Once they had left, she gained her mother's attention by tapping her on the shoulder. _

_ "What did I tell you people? It's rude to- oh, it's you, dear," Cora said, her voice at first harsh than the sickly sweet tone that Regina knew she only reserved for when she was talking to her daughter in public. "Why haven't you been saying goodbye to our guests? It's rude, Regina, I didn't raise you that way." _

_ She sighed. Leave it to her mother to turn her father's funeral into nothing more than another one of her endless events whose only purpose was to flaunt how much better she was than those around her. "I came to talk to you, Mother," she began, hoping that she would have her mother's undivided attention for a change.  _

_ Cora groaned and turned toward her. "What is it, Regina? As you can see, I'm very busy." _

_ “I see that,” Regina muttered. She knew that now would likely be a bad time to talk to her mother, but she also had to do it while she had the courage. Cora Mills had always been an intimidating presence in her life, so she knew she had to talk to her as soon as possible, or it wouldn’t happen at all. Robin had taken the boys elsewhere, distracting them with some pictures of a young Regina with Henry’s grandfather, so Regina didn’t have to worry about two things at once. _

_ Which was a good thing… Mostly. But it also meant that she didn’t have anything to focus on other than sweaty palms and shortness of breath, how her pulse was racing, but not in a way that could ever be mistaken for excitement. _

_ Finally, her mother focused on her and asked, “What do you want, Regina?” _

_ Here goes nothing… “I just wanted to talk to you about the possibility of fulfilling Daddy’s last wishes,” Regina began. _

_ "Really? And you thought that now was the best time? I raised you better than that, Regina, you know I can't have that type of discussion when there are guests present." _

_ “Mother, if we don’t talk today we won’t.” _

_ That’s ridiculous, dear, we can talk any day of the week. That is, if you would answer my phone calls,” Cora added bitterly, her feelings about their lack of a relationship over the last decade clear. _

_ Regina took a moment to simply be silent. She knew that if she answered, what she said wouldn’t help the conversation. The biggest reason that she stayed away from her mother, including phone calls, was so she could be happy. She was trying to repair their relationship now so that she could honor her father by fulfilling his final request. In addition, she wanted to make sure that Henry felt like he had a family for the first time in his life, including having relatives other than his mother and aunt. Finally, she decided that the best strategy was to change topics only slightly… hopefully without any repercussions. She wanted nothing more than to protect her baby boy from the scrutiny of the cruelest woman she had ever known, but she didn’t know how else she could possibly move the conversation forward in a constructive way. “I want to do this for my son,” she informed the seemingly heartless woman. “After what you made me do to him, he deserves to have a complete family, or as complete as it can be.” _

_ “That spoiled little boy?” Cora scoffed. “He doesn’t deserve anything from me, considering he never had my support in the first place.” _

_ Regina was furious at all three of them- her father for even suggesting that they should make an attempt at reconciliation, her mother for saying what she had, and herself for believing even for a second that things had the possibility of changing. “Don’t you dare speak a word against my son,” she seethed. She was pensive for a moment, trying to think of a way forward. “How about this. We’ll do something just the two of us- on Mother’s Day, perhaps?” she suggested, hoping that this compromise would appease her. The woman who had given birth to her had wanted Regina to acknowledge the day and the role she had played in her life for years, but Regina, of course, had refused. Now, she knew that whatever her mother came up with to bring her down would likely not only be refuted by whatever Henry chose to do to celebrate her new role in his life, but likely Robin and Roland as well. In addition, she was desperate for a way to honor her father and keep her son away from her mother, and that seemed the only way to do it. _

_ She felt like she could finally breathe again when her mother’s response was a huffed, “Very well. But I get to choose the venue, is that clear young lady?” _

_ “Fine,” Regina agreed. “We’ll figure out details closer to the date. Until then, goodbye Mother.”  _

_ She had left Cora staring after her and found Robin and the boys. They had left, Regina feeling Cora’s cold stare fixed on her as the doors of the church closed behind them.  _

********

Now she was standing in front of her closet, trying to figure out what to wear for her lunch out with her mother. They were going to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, one Cora went to on a weekly basis. Regina had tried to convince her to go somewhere she didn’t eat regularly, but she had insisted, and Regina, mindful of her father’s last wishes, which had been spelled out in the letter he left for her, was trying her hardest to make sure that there was as little conflict as possible at this lunch outing. 

Finally, she settled on a flattering red dress with a keyhole neckline that was fitted, but that she felt didn’t unnecessarily show any weight she may have gained. She and Henry invited Robin, Roland, and Henry’s friends from the shelter over for dinner at least a few times a week, and she was constantly trying to impress Robin with her cooking skills, even though he had long ago assured her that her cooking was even better than Granny’s. 

She deduced that her choice was a good one when she saw Robin’s expression when she walked down the stairs. He was watching Henry for her once again and had arrived early so that she could get ready, which she had told him was unnecessary, but now she was thankful for. His appreciative gaze swept over her from head to toe, and as always, she was so grateful for his presence in her life, a sentiment that was solidified when he drew her close and kissed her. Once they had separated by just a hair’s length, noses touching, both of them breathless, he smiled and whispered, “You look beautiful, love.”

She kissed him again, this one chaste. “Thanks,” she said. admitting, “I needed that.” How this man always knew the right thing to say, she would never know. 

“Anytime, love,” he told her as his hand swept the hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You know that.”

As always, his use of the word made her heart flutter. It was hard to believe, but Regina had to admit that with each passing day, she fell deeper for the man who had single-handedly turned her life upside-down a few months before. It was because of him that she no longer came home to an empty house every night, that she was able to look at children playing with potential purchases in her store without feeling an avalanche of remorse. He had brought a light to her life that was more significant than he would ever know, and she knew that she would never regret the day a few months before when she had finally told him how she felt.

With final instructions to Robin and her son, she was out the door. She knew that her mother despised tardiness, so even though she knew she would be early, she was going to be on time by Cora Mills’ standards. 

The closer she got to the restaurant, the more nervous she became, her stomach twisting in knots that would be difficult to unravel without Robin by her side and her mother for company. Indeed. Cora Mills always had a knack for knowing where to strike to hurt Regina most, so she knew that the best parts of her life- her job, Henry and the Locksleys’ ever-increasing presence in their lives- would surely be under her mother’s scrutiny. 

She entered the posh restaurant and when she told the host who she was meeting, he gave her a look of sympathy that seemed too sincere for someone who had escaped Cora Mills unscathed. She grimaced sympathetically before following him to a booth not far from the restaurant’s indoor fountain.

“Regina, dear,” Cora greeted her. “How lovely of you to join me. You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Regina’s hand slipped into her pocket, where her father’s last words to her lay folded, written on a little slip of paper. Only by remembering them would she be able to get through this:

_ My sweet Regina, _

__ _ I regret to tell you this, but it seems likely that I will not be on this earth for much longer. With that in mind, I just wanted to say a few things, so you can hold on to them when I am gone. _

__ _ First, I must tell you just how proud I am of you. Not only are you a spectacularly successful businesswoman, but you’ve recently welcomed the son you once had to give up into your heart and home. I know that I was part of the reason that you took him to the shelter in the first place because I didn’t stand up to your mother and for that, Regina, I am more sorry than mere words can express. I should have done more to help you back then, should have found a way to let you have everything you wanted, everything you had a right to have, especially after the loss you suffered at the time.  _

__ _ More than anything, I am proud of you for following your dreams. Whether it was bringing Henry home with you a month ago or bringing your dreams of owning a toy store to life ten years before that, you have never hesitated to follow your heart, and for that, I will always admire you, my darling daughter. You have a strength that I think even you don’t know you possess, but know that it is there, Regina, that you can do everything you set your heart to. _

_ I must admit though, that one thing I wish you would consider is reconciling with your mother. Regina, I know it doesn’t seem like it at times, but she truly does love you and want what’s best for you, even when it doesn’t seem like it. She’s the only family you have left now, so please try to reconcile with her. You will need each other, even when it may not seem like it. You inherited your stubborn nature from her, so I know that path will not be easy, but it is one that I feel is necessary, especially once I’m gone. _

_ But you won’t have to do it alone. You have told me all about the wonderful young man you’re seeing, and I cannot adequately express how grateful I am that you have learned to love again, which I know Daniel would have wanted for you. You deserve nothing but happiness, and from what you’ve told me, Robin is exactly the right man to give you that.  _

_ I love you, Regina, never forget that. Once I am gone, I will spend all of my time in heaven watching over you. _

_ My love always, _

_ Your father _

Recalling his words now helped Regina look her mother in the eye. Cora was perusing the menu in her hands, a disapproving frown on her lips. What about it didn’t meet with her expectations, Regina didn’t know, but she was the one who had chosen the location of their lunch out, so she knew that for once, her irritation had nothing to do with anything she had done. Mindful of the fresh start they were attempting that day, she asked, “What do you dislike about the menu, Mother?”

“They used to make a salad here that was my favorite, and now all they have on the salad menu is a garden salad and a Caesar salad,” she answered. 

Of course. Cora Mills could never go out to eat somewhere without ordering something healthy, something Regina had known, but didn't like being reminded of. "I'm sure they have other healthy options, Mother. There must be something else you would enjoy here." 

Just then, the waitress came to take their order. "Hi, I'm Tiana, what can I get for you?"

Aware of the fact that Cora may not have made her own decision yet, Regina looked down at the menu and made a quick choice for herself. “Can I have the barbeque chicken please?” It’s maybe not the most healthy thing on the menu- it comes with fries and has not only barbeque, but cheese and bacon on top- but she needs a bit of salt and grease to get through whatever happens during this lunch.

Once Tiana had nodded and left, Cora raised her eyebrows and immediately criticized, “The barbeque chicken? Really, Regina? That’s not chicken, it’s nothing but sugar and fat. You’re not getting any younger, you’re ”

Regina sighed. Maybe it was best to be honest with her. That way, she would maybe understand how much of an effect her criticism had on her. If they were truly going to attempt to reconcile like her father had wanted, the first step was gentle honesty. “Honestly, Mother, I knew I needed something good. When you say things like that, they hurt, even though I always wish they didn’t.”

Cora laughed. “Really, Regina? Why must you always be so sensitive? I didn’t raise you to cower at the first sign of conflict.”

Her words made Regina furious, but she fought to remain calm. Arguing would never help anyone, and hopefully, if she maintained the upper hand, her mother would see what she was trying to do and their lunch could be salvaged. “No, but you did raise me to stand up for myself. Like it or not, Mother, one of the people I need to stand up to the most is you. I work out regularly, and believe it or not, I eat healthy food every day, and encourage my son to do the same. The reason I ordered what I did is because I knew I would want something that tasted good to combat whatever criticisms you directed at me today.”

She couldn’t read the expression on her mother’s face and waited with bated breath for her response. While they waited, a basket of bread was set down on the table, along with butter packets, but neither of them touched it.

“All right, Regina,” Cora said at last. “I may have opinions on your life, but I don’t know if I ever truly realized just how much those opinions mattered. We’re trying to have a fresh start, to do what Henry wanted. In the spirit of that new beginning, I will try to curb my opinions.”

“Try?” Regina repeated, noticing that there was a chance that she wouldn’t do as she had promised. She knew that she would never be able to understand how she had escaped the effect of her mother's wrath for decades- or how she hadn't ended up like her, considering it was all she had ever known.

“Regina,” her mother warned. “I said that I would try. Take it or leave it. And keep in mind that your father would advise you to take it.”

Regina took a moment to take a deep breath and consider the woman sitting across the table from her. She was right that her father, the man she had loved for her entire life, would want her to forgive her mother and give her a chance, but she didn't know if she could. 

She did feel the need to clarify a few things though. Even if Cora managed to mostly stick to what she had agreed to, Regina knew that there would be moments when she would slip, and when those moments happened, she wanted there to be boundaries. "Fine. However, I have a few rules."

"Oh really?" Cora laughed as their meals were set before them. "You think you're in a position to make rules? This isn't some game, Regina, it's life."

"Exactly, and if I'm going to be living a life that includes you, I honestly need to make sure I can handle it. You have no idea what your words can do to people, Mother."

Cora sighed. "Fine, dear. What are these unnecessary rules that I simply must abide by?" 

Her tone was sarcastic, and it filled Regina's heart with dread. With that attitude, there was no way that she would adhere to the boundaries that her daughter was setting up for her own and Henry's sake, but she knew she had to try while she had the chance. "First, absolutely no comments against Henry. He is my son and after everything you put us through, I think it's reasonable that you agree to leave him alone and allow me to raise him the way I want to."

Cora laughed and sat back in her seat, her arms folded over her chest. "Then what, pray tell, am I allowed to do with the boy? Sit across the table staring at him and not saying a word? Surely you've realized that he's already half-grown, Regina. You don't need to coddle him as much as you seem to be, especially considering where he spent the first decade of his life. I'd imagine that given those circumstances, he's tougher than you think."

Who did Cora think led her to leave him in those circumstances to begin with? It was like she had completely forgotten the hell she had put her through a decade before. 

She had to admit that her mother was right about how strong Henry was, though. He never cried, not even at the funeral of the grandfather he had never known, despite all of the stories Regina had told him about the older man. He was always saying and doing things that made her realize just how mature he was for his age, and it made Regina's heart ache remembering why he had probably had to grow up so fast… because of her and the choices she had made, choices she was trying to make up for years later, despite the fact that she felt that her mother had a point: Henry had grown up so much without her.

“I’m his mother,” she stated firmly. “I’m well aware of how strong he is. But Mother, of course you can talk to him. He’s an extremely bright kid for his age, especially in English. Ask him about his classes, or about the stories he writes.”

She should’ve known that it was the wrong thing to say. The second she mentioned Henry’s stories, her mother seemed simultaneously shocked and withdrawn, uninterested in what her daughter had told her. “Stories? Do you really think that will lead him to success, Regina? Did you know that Common Core, the national curriculum used nowadays, is focused on science and nonfiction, on  _ facts _ ? Where will stories get him in a world focused on those things, Regina?”

"They'll give him hope," she responded fiercely, fire in her eyes. She wouldn't let Cora get away with criticizing her son in an area where he excelled, even if he wasn't present for the conversation. "Not all children are good at STEAM, some have talents in other areas that are just as valuable to the people around them."

Cora pursed her lips, but to Regina's surprise and relief, she didn't say anything. They finished the meal and got the check in silence, only speaking when they exited the building. 

Turning to face her, Cora held out her hand. "Well, I must say this was an interesting afternoon. Until next time, Regina."

"And when will that be?" she inquired apprehensively. She didn't think she could handle another encounter with her mother anytime soon, but if her mother wanted to, she would do it for her father's sake."

Holding her head high, Cora answered, "I don't know, I'll have to check my schedule and call you."

Regina nodded. "Okay."

With that, they parted ways, and once she was in her car, Regina put her head in her hands, resting both on the steering wheel in front of her. How she could expose Henry or Robin to her mother's critical views, she didn't know, but she knew she would have to someday. In the meantime, her boys were waiting for her.

********

Henry was busy playing with his friends at Arrows to Hope. While he loved living with his mom more than he could ever say, he always missed his friends here. A lot of them had grown up together, and because of that, had grown close over the years. So when Regina had revealed that she was his mom a few months ago, he had asked if that meant he would never be seeing his friends again. He had been pretty sure he knew the answer though. He had seen the gushy looks his mom and Robin always had in their eyes when they looked at each other, so he knew that since Robin was in charge at the shelter, it was likely that he and his mom would be there a lot too, which made him happy. He had been at the shelter for as long as he could remember, and while he had been excited about living with Regina, he knew he'd miss everything about living there.

He had always wondered about his mom though, and had often speculated about what she would be like. He remembered one afternoon when he had despaired of ever finding her…

********

_ Henry watched as baby Margo was carried off, her new family beaming with the joy they found in their new baby girl. He could tell from the faces of his friends that he wasn’t the only one who was both happy that one of their number had found a new home and devastated that that child hadn’t been him. He loved everyone at the shelter, he really did, but he wanted a family of his own. But more often than not, the youngest children were the ones who found a home, not older kids like him. He was five years old and had seen enough to know that someone big like him would never find a family. And the fact that the baby that did find a new family was Margo hurt even more. He had spent countless hours helping feed her and holding her (under the watchful eye of one of the adults there, of course).  _

_ “Let’s go everyone, back inside!” John called. He was one of the few adults who stayed at the shelter, although Henry often forgot that he was older. Like Robin, he loved playing games with the children and running around with them, so much so that Henry and his friends often forgot that he wasn’t a child like them.  _

_ In moments like these, though, John’s seniority was impossible to ignore. Reluctantly, Henry and the others trooped up the steps like soldiers and made their way inside. But instead of making his way to the kitchen like everyone else, Henry went to his room. He wanted some time alone, even though he knew that wouldn’t last long. _

_ Sure enough, he was soon joined by Neal and Grace, all three of them commiserating over the fact that they hadn’t been the ones to find a family that day. Eventually, Grace went back to her own room that she shared with some of the other girls and Neal went to the kitchen to see if he could find a snack, and in their absence, Henry found himself sitting in his room alone, staring out of the solitary window, wondering why his mommy and daddy had given him up all those years ago.  _

_ “Henry? Whats’ wrong?” _

_ At the sound of his name, Henry turned and found Robin standing in the doorway. “What do you want?” _

_ “To make sure you’re okay, and make you feel better if not,” the older man said.  _

_ Henry was staring at the blue blanket on his bed, but he heard the old wooden bed creak as Robin sat beside him. “What’s wrong, Henry?” his favorite adult asked softly. _

_ At first, Henry refused to answer, but then he felt Robin’s hand gently landing on his shoulder, and he couldn’t keep it in any more. “I want a mommy and daddy,” Henry whispered.  _

_ Robin pulled him closer, both of his arms around him now. “Henry, I’m sure you’ll find parents someday.” As Henry looked up, ready to disagree with him once more, he saw a light in Robin’s eyes and although he didn’t know what was coming, he felt a spark of hope beginning to bloom in his chest. “Do you know what, I think I know something that can help you. What if your mommy and daddy are superheroes, Henry?” _

_ “Superheroes? Like the Hulk and Thor?” Henry repeated, looking up. “If they’re superheroes, why did they leave me here? Why can’t they take care of me?” _

_ “Well, all superheroes are really busy, yeah?” Robin reminded him. _

_ “Yeah!” Henry exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He frowned. “But then shouldn’t they be able to find enough time to take care of me? An even if they can’t, can’t they go back in time or something?” _

_ He seemed to have stumped Robin for a moment, but then he smiled. “What if they had a mean villain coming after them, the worst villain they had ever faced? What if that villain threatened to harm you, Henry, and the only way they could save you was by bringing you here?” _

_ The idea made Henry’s eyes widen in understanding, ideas forming in his mind. “Yeah! That makes sense!” _

_ Robin smiled and stood. “See? Now, why don’t you come to join us in the kitchen? We’re having our traditional dessert to celebrate Margo’s new home,” he informed him, winking. _

_ Henry’s eyes lit up. Every time someone at the shelter found a new home, whether it was one of the children or one of the adults, they always celebrated the same way that night, with Henry’s favorite dessert: ice cream. “What flavor?” he asked, all worries about his lack of parents forgotten for the moment.  _

_ “As always, we got two,” Robin answered. “And I believe one of them is your favorite!” _

_ Henry leapt out of bed and bounded down the steps to find his friends and the ice cream. He didn’t know for sure if Robin was right, but he chose to believe in at least this one fact: that he had been given to the shelter to give him his best chance at a good life. _

******** __

Now, years later, Henry smiled fondly at the memory. That night had been the first time he had first told a story to anyone who would listen. From then on, in addition to learning how to read stories, he had started making up his own. He had found hope in Robin’s idea that his parents had given him up to save him, and he wanted other children he knew at the shelter to have that same optimism. 

He grinned as he saw his mom standing in the doorway and ran over to her. He really hoped she would like what he had planned for her that day, and was really nervous to find out what her reaction would be. Although they always had done something special for Granny on Mother’s Day, since she was like a grandmother to everyone at the shelter, including the adults, this was the first year that Henry had a mother of his own to celebrate, and he knew everything had to be perfect for her.

He nodded eagerly when she asked if he wanted to go home, but the closer they got to their house, the more nervous he became. He really hoped that she would like what he had done for her. He had never had a mother before, and he didn’t want to mess anything up. He wanted her to be happy and to make sure she didn’t have any regrets about agreeing to be his mom on Christmas. It was the best Christmas present he had ever gotten, even better than the tablet Robin had gotten him, and he had been trying every day since to make sure that she knew how much he loved her. What if she didn’t like his surprises and sent him back to the shelter? 

By the time they walked up the back steps and entered the house, Henry had butterflies in his stomach. His palms were sweaty, his heartbeat as fast as a hummingbird’s wings in his chest. 

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who noticed his nerves. Once Regina had put the key in the lock and opened the door, she turned around and looked at him, her face filled with concern. “Henry? Are you all right? You don’t look well. What did Robin and Granny feed you for lunch?”

“It wasn’t lunch!” he rushed to reassure her. “We made grilled cheese to give Granny a break!”

“Did you?” she smiled. “I bet they weren’t as good as Granny’s grilled cheeses.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, but they were still really good!” Granny put all sorts of delicious things in her grilled cheese like ham and sometimes even bacon. If they were lucky, she even put more than one type of cheese, and the rich, cheesy mixture would explode in Henry’s mouth like the big bang that they had learned about in school. 

She smirked. “Who cooked them? Because we both know Robin doesn’t cook as well as I do.”

Henry giggled- she was right. His mom was the best cook in the whole world! Or at least, she and Granny were equally great at it. “Grace and I did! But Robin helped.”

“I see,” Regina mused. “So what’s wrong, then? Because I can see that you’re sweating.”

Henry stared down at his shoes, unable to look her in the eye. “I’m nervous,” he admitted so softly that he wondered if she had heard him.

Her fingers brushed his bangs back from his forehead. “Why are you nervous, sweetheart?”

“I want you to like what I did for Mother’s Day,” he murmured, finally looking up. “I don’t want you to be disappointed in me. As much as I love the shelter and my friends there, I don’t want to live there again. I want to stay here with you.”

“Oh, Henry,” she sighed, bringing him close for a hug. “You could never disappoint me so much that I would send you back to the shelter. When I saw you for the first time at the shelter, as you were reading to the other kids, I can’t even explain to you how proud I was of you. You’re the best son I ever could have hoped for, and my only regret is that I listened to my mother and let her tear us apart for so many years of your life. I meant what I said last Christmas: I’ve regretted you not being with me every day since I left you at Arrows to Hope, and I’m never going to make a mistake like that ever again. That's why we went through that court hearing, remember?” Suddenly, she grinned. “Face it, Henry: you’re stuck with your old mom for good.”

Her words made Henry dare to hope that what he had found with his amazing mom was going to last. His heart swelled and he pulled away, leading the way inside.

The evidence of what he, Robin and Roland had done earlier that day hit him as soon as he walked in the door, and from Regina's gasp, he was sure she smelled it too. "Henry, what exactly did you three do while I was gone?"

*Come and see!" Henry told her confidently, his fears forgotten. He grabbed her hand and led her past the laundry room into the cozy kitchen, its red walls with a fruit wallpaper border warm and inviting. Other than his room, he had always liked the way the kitchen was decorated better than any other room in the house. 

His mom gasped when she saw what was on the counter and stepped closer to read the words that had been spelled out in icing on the cake: "Happy Mother's Day!" 

She turned back to face him, and he saw that she was smiling and his heart leapt. Maybe she would like the cake and his present after all. "Henry, did you do all of this?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "Well, Robin and Roland helped with the cake!"

She beamed and Henry was so happy, he thought his heart would burst. "I can't wait to open it, but do you want to have a piece of cake first?"

He nodded eagerly, and she found what she needed to serve them both a piece of cake. Henry had wanted to put apples on it or in it since they were his mom's favorite, so they had made a cinnamon sugar cake with apples on top, and he had thought it would be gross because it wasn't chocolate, but it wasn't. He could tell his mom liked it because she closed her eyes as she chewed the first bite, a blissful look on her face.

Once they had eaten and done the dishes, they spent the rest of the day playing together and Henry went to bed thinking that no other Mother's Day could beat the first one he got to spend with his mom.

  
  
  
  
  



	4. August 15- Henry's birthday

Regina woke bright and early on Henry's birthday. While she had been making preparations for this day for weeks, she knew she had to make final adjustments and set up everything, and she wanted to make sure that she had time to make her little prince a special breakfast as well.

To that end, she began to make his favorite: chocolate chip pancakes, something that she didn't usually encourage him to have, but for this special day, she wanted him to have everything he wanted.

As she was flipping pancakes on the griddle, her mind wandered back to this day eleven years ago and the pain she had endured…

********

_ Regina looked down at her perfect baby boy, his hazel eyes staring back at her. Life had been so cruel to tear his father away from him, and from her, two weeks before. She knew that Daniel would have been just as enchanted by their newborn son as she was. She just wished that his grandmother could be just as enthralled by the baby boy in her arms. _

_ Tears filled her eyes as she remembered her mother's words. She had told her in no uncertain terms that in order for her to have her parents' support for Regal Trinkets, the business she had built from the ground up, she would have to give up her son, the last connection she had to the man she loved with all her heart. It tore Regina apart to have to make that decision, but plans for her toy store were too far along for her to back out now.  _

_ She had pleaded with her father to allow her to keep his namesake, begged him to appeal to her mother, that his words would have more effect than Regina's ever would on the uptight woman's decisions. Once Cora Mills decided something her decision was final, and there was nothing that could change her mind, least of all anything Regina dared say to her.  _

_ She remembered when she had gone to her parents, her grief fresh, tears glistening in her eyes. She had hated going to them, despised the blow to her pride, admitting any kind of vulnerability to the woman who believed that love itself, the thing that held the greatest power in the world, was weakness. _

_ However, at the end of the day Cora's lack of sympathy was the thing that had given Regina the strength to do what she was doing now. She didn't want her baby boy to grow up in a family that had members who didn't want him. She wanted him to be nothing but loved and cherished by everyone closest to him for his entire life, something she knew would never happen if Cora Mills was in the picture.  _

_ Henry's cries brought her attention back to him. Tears filled her eyes as his chubby little fingers reached for her while they were making their way down the street. She honestly didn't know how she would have the strength to do this, but knew that to give her son his best chance, she had to follow through with her plan. _

_ No. It wasn't her plan, it was her mother's. It most certainly wasn't her plan to get rid of her only remaining connection to Daniel, her flesh and blood, and certainly the strongest link to him that she would ever have again. No gift he had given her, no memory of his words and actions, would ever compare to holding the child they had created together in her arms.  _

_ At last, she had found what she was looking for. The shelter's edifice looked oddly warm and inviting, a sentiment she couldn't imagine many of its residents felt. It had to be hard (impossible, maybe?) for anyone to feel welcome in a place they lived in because they had to, which is probably why the people who ran the shelter had gone to such great lengths to make this place people went to when they were down on their luck, desperate beyond comprehension, give off vibes that were the opposite of those the residents felt. _

_ Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the sign, then down at her baby boy, then back up again. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She had never thought she would have to choose between the career of her dreams and her family. It was a choice that no one should have to make, but of course, Cora Mills had to have her way, and if her way included not having her husband's namesake in their lives, then that was how it was going to be. She cared not for the feelings of others, had certainly never cared about Regina as she grew up if their opinions differed. If Regina hadn't been in such a desperate situation, she would have never gone to her parents in the first place, no matter how much she loved her father. Daddy had always been there for her, and was again… but her parents' support had come at a price, which was always the case for her mother, something she had never understood. She had begged, pleaded, practically gotten down on her knees with her need to have her son in her life, but nothing had changed her mother's mind. If she wanted Regal Trinkets, she would have to give up her son, and that was final.  _

_ She knew she would just have to get it over with. Wiping the tears from her eyes (she refused to look weak in front of anyone), she rang the doorbell. She could have just left Henry in the safe room of a firehouse or on the shelter's steps, but she knew that course of action had never been an option for her. She couldn't imagine leaving her baby boy to the elements, and who knew what a random stranger walking by on the street would do to her precious son? So she waited for someone to answer the door, her heart in her throat. She still couldn't quite believe she was doing this. _

_ When the door opened, she saw a blonde woman with a rosewood jacket standing in the doorway. “Hello, I’m Emma,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand. “How can I help you today?” _

_ Regina, who hadn’t really paid attention to the woman’s words because she was still fighting down sobs, swallowed and held out Henry, who was wrapped up in a sky blue blanket. “I- long story short, I need you to look after my son,” she told the woman, her voice still laced with the force of the sobs she was suppressing. “I- I want to, but I can’t. He needs to have his best chance at a good life, and that’s not with me.”  _

_ The woman’s face, which had always been kind, softened even more when she looked down at the baby in her arms. Henry, who had fallen asleep while his mother had been standing outside of the shelter that would be his new home gathering the courage she needed to do what had to be done, woke and smiled, reaching up to his mother.  _

_ The gesture broke Regina’s heart. Henry knew that she was his mommy and despite the fact that he was only three days old, he already trusted her more than anyone else. The thought that she was going to betray that implicit trust and give him away, leaving him to a life of uncertainty, of never having enough, broke the restraint she had placed on her tears and allowed them to flow freely, much to her dismay. Sobbing, she passed her son to the woman who worked at the shelter. “Take care of him,” she whispered, just loudly enough for the blonde to hear. “Give him the life and the love my family can’t.” _

_ “We will,” the other woman assured her as she took Henry into her arms. “This little one will never doubt that he’s loved. What’s his name?” _

_ “Henry,” she said, smiling. Despite everything that his wife was making her do, despite the fact that he was doing nothing to stand up to her, his pleas for Regina’s case useless against Cora’s iron will, she wanted her son to be named after the man who had given her everything. _

_ The woman whose hair seemed like sunlight smiled. “I can tell the name means a great deal to you. So Henry it is.” _

_ She wrapped Henry in her crimson jacket and turned away, so Regina did as well. She took two steps away before she remembered that she had one last thing to give her son, the only thing she could give him: the truth. She pivoted and ran back, catching her son and one of his new caregivers just before the door shut on that chapter of her life forever. “Wait!” she shouted, her voice frantic. She couldn’t lose this chance. She had to give her son one last thing before he was lost to her.  _

_ The woman turned, cradling Henry close to her chest. “Yes? What is it? Have you changed your mind?” _

_ Regina shook her head. “I wish. No, what I need to do is give you this.”  _

_ She reached in her pocket and passed the shelter worker a folded piece of paper that had been sealed in an envelope.  _

_ "It's for Henry," she explained. "He needs to-" A lump was suddenly in her throat, and she took a minute to swallow it before continuing, "He needs to know that I gave him up to give him his best chance, that I still love him. That I'll always love him." _

_ The blonde's eyes softened, obviously touched by what little she knew of Regina's and her son's story. "Don't worry," she said, shifting Henry in her arms and taking the letter from Regina. "He'll never doubt that you, or any of us who will take care of him here, love him. What you said, it's what we tell all of the children sent here, so that they always know the best version of their parents." _

_ Regina laughed bitterly. "I doubt anyone would believe that this is me at my best." _

_ "But it is, whether you believe it or not," the woman (she couldn't remember her name- Emily? Erica?) said gently. "You're giving him a better life. That's all that matters, isn't it?" _

_ Regina shook her head. This woman was apparently the shelter's hope commission, something she really didn't want right now. All she wanted was to forget the pain slicing through her heart, the persistent thought threatening to consume her: that she would never have anyone connected to the first love of her life ever again.  _

_ At the same time, though, the other woman was right. What mattered most was what was best for Henry. And she knew in her heart that what was best for him was for him to be far away from her mother, the woman who could destroy someone’s self-esteem with a few well-chosen words. Her son deserved to grow up in an environment where he was given every ounce of love possible from everyone around him from day one. While she loved him with everything she had, more than she had thought she could ever love another human being, she knew that life wasn't with her. However, having to hand him over to this stranger was taking every ounce of strength she had. _

_ “I- I guess,” she said slowly. She fixed her with a glare filled with a mother’s ferocity when faced with a situation that endangered their child. “Take good care of him for me. Give him everything I can’t. And make sure he never forgets me.” _

_ “I will,” the blonde promised, and with that, Regina turned on her heels and fled. She knew that what she had done was the best thing for Henry, that she had made the right decision for her child’s well-being. However, she knew that not a day would go by that she wouldn’t regret leaving behind the last remnants of what had once been her happy ending. _

********

Wiping away the tears that despite her best efforts had surfaced at the memory of the day she had lost Henry, Regina set the pancakes aside on three separate plates- blueberry for her, chocolate chip for her little prince and the son of the man she loved. 

Her next step was to wake her son. Setting the plates on the table, she headed towards the stairs, and to her surprise was met by two rambunctious boys. 

“I smell pancakes!” Roland exclaimed, running down the steps and leaping into her arms.

With the quick reflexes cultivated during hours spent with children at her store, Regina caught him and held the little boy close. Holding him far enough away that she could look him in the eye, she cautioned, “Don’t do that, Roland, you could have hurt yourself.”

He pouted. “But Gina…”

Henry, who had come up to them when he realized that they weren’t following right behind him, chimed in, “He’s fine, Mom, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again. Now, can we have pancakes?”

She laughed and nodded, setting Roland down so the three of them could walk to the kitchen hand in hand. She loved mornings like this, when either both Roland and his father spent the night or Roland stayed with them when his father had to take a night shift at the shelter. They were becoming more like a family every day, and though there were times that the rapid changes in their relationship scared her, at the end of the day Regina knew that she wouldn’t have it any other way. The reminder of how lonely she had once been, how she had thought for years that she was never meant to find happiness, was something she didn’t like to consider. She loved her life, despite the challenges that had led her here. Every one of them had been worth it.

Before she could sit down, she heard her phone ringtone go off, letting her know that she had received a new text. Walking to the counter where it was resting, she saw a new text from Robin:  _ Good morning, love, I’m on my way to your place. Can’t wait to hug and kiss you all, especially the birthday boy! On another note, can we talk after the boys go to bed this evening? I love you. _

_ That was cryptic…  _ Regina thought as she texted him back  _ Of course, can’t wait to see you _ and set her phone back on the counter. She didn’t know what Robin wanted to talk about, and that feeling of ignorance made her nervous. What would he say? Usually the phrase “we need to talk” had a negative connotation, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he was thinking.

Pushing her fears aside, she settled into breakfast with her two favorite children. She hoped that today would be Henry’s best birthday yet.

********

Henry had had the best beginning of a birthday he could ever imagine. He had always used his wish as he blew out a growing number of candles every year to wish that his mom and dad were celebrating his special day with him, a wish that had finally come true this year. He had always been a believer though, had even been told by everyone at his old home that he had the heart of the truest believer. He had very rarely given up hope that one day he would find a family of his own, and now, he didn't regret that belief one bit, even if Gideon had constantly made fun of him for it. 

He was even having his very first birthday party at his new house, and he couldn't be more excited. He had had his friends come over to his new house, of course, not to brag about his new living situation but to allow them to experience it too. The house where he lived with his mom was bigger than he had ever thought possible, so much so that he and his friends frequently called it a mansion. He had asked his mom once if she had ever been lonely living here on her own, and she had just looked at him, smiled and said that she wasn't lonely anymore. He hated to think of what it must have been like for her, living in this great big house by herself, and at her indirect admission that she had been lonely, he had been happy that Robin had helped her find him last year, that she wasn't lonely anymore.

He couldn't wait for the party in a few minutes. They had picked a fairy tale theme, and his mom had worked really hard finding the perfect decorations for it and putting them up in every room of the house, even his room, where he knew none of the guests would be. They had picked everything from the cake to games they would play with care, and he knew that it would be the best party ever!

One part that made him worry, though, was his grandmother. She was invited, and he was aware that his mom was nervous about it. He knew that his mom had been trying to get along with her again ever since his grandpa's funeral, to piece together what was left of their family. She had kept him far away from her though, and while Henry was glad about that sometimes, he also knew that he was braver than his mom was giving him credit for. Even though he knew what Cora Mills had done all those years ago, why his mom didn't get along with her, he knew that he could handle any mean comment she threw his way as long as he had his amazing new family by his side.

Because that's what he, Robin, Roland, and Regina were. He had always felt like Robin and Roland were his dad and brother, a feeling that had only gotten stronger once Robin had found his mom and then started dating her. He hoped that one day they could be a family for real, that the nights that Roland and Robin spent at his house could become more frequent, maybe even permanent. 

“Henry? Are you ready?” his mom asked when she appeared in the hallway outside of his room just as the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the guests. 

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, jumping up from where he had been looking at the few souvenirs he had from birthdays past. He couldn’t wait for all of his friends to experience the best party any of them had ever gone to, to share just another part of his new life with them. 

His friends, both from the shelter and his friends from the school he had transferred to when he moved in with his mom and changed school districts, started arriving and soon the house was filled with the happy chatter of all of his friends in one place, just the way he liked it. But though he watched the open front door anxiously and he saw that his mom did too, his grandmother never arrived to celebrate with them.

It was only when they had already played almost all of the games they had planned (pin the horn on the unicorn and a fairy tale version of headbands, where each of them had a fairy tale character on their forehead and had to guess who it was), had eaten cake, and were starting to open presents that they all were startled by the ringing of the doorbell. 

The room fell silent as everyone looked at Henry and his mom, who exchanged a glance. There was only one person that could be. 

“The door’s open, come in,” Regina called from her place next to Henry. She was sitting with a pad of paper and pen in hand, prepared to write down the gifts he had received and who they were from so she could help him write thank you notes later.

“Sorry I’m late,” his grandmother apologized as she entered the room. “It was the height of rudeness, it won’t happen again.”

“That’s okay!” Henry told her. “You’re just in time for presents!” He had never had such a large pile of presents before, and instead of letting it get to his head, it humbled him. It was more than he had ever been given to call his own, especially all at the same time, and he knew that whatever great things he got today, he would share every single one of them with his brothers and sisters at the orphanage. Just because he was the one who had been given a new home and a brand new life didn’t mean that they couldn’t share in it too. 

“I see that,” the woman who he knew intimidated his mother told him as her gaze swept over the pile of presents beside him. “It seems that you got a lot of presents this year, Henry.” He couldn’t read the look in her eyes. She almost looked sad when she said his name, and he didn’t know why. Then he remembered that his name was also the name of his grandpa, and he thought he understood. His name was a reminder of her husband, a man that she probably missed. No wonder she didn’t like him. 

“Yeah!” he confirmed happily. He wanted to tell her about his plan to share them with his friends from the shelter. Hopefully, that would make her proud of him. “And I’m going to share them all with my friends!”

Instead of liking his decision of him like he thought she would, her expression was filled with nothing but disgust as she looked at all of his friends, both old and new. “Share? With this riffraff? Surely you’ve taught him better than that, Regina. Honestly, you should have never brought this boy back into your life, then you wouldn’t have all these filthy children everywhere.” Now her furious gaze was on his mom. “Surely  _ I  _ taught you better than that.”

Henry’s heart was filled with pride when he saw that Cora’s words had no effect on his mom. Though he saw Robin’s arm wrap around her in support, she didn’t look like she needed it. She was strong, just like the superhero he had thought she was ever since he was little. “I think it’s good that Henry wants to share everything he has with kids who are less fortunate than he is, Mother. And as his mother, my opinion is the one that matters most.”

Cora scoffed, and Henry was really surprised when she stayed silent after that. He hadn’t expected it, not after what she had said, but he also knew that she and his mom were trying to put the past behind them. Maybe that was why she looked thoughtful now, and remained silent as his mom called everyone’s attention back to the presents Henry still needed to open. 

He had gotten a lot of really cool gifts so far, including a binder to store all of the stories he wrote and wanted to share with his friends and a bag to carry all of his library books. One of his favorite things over the past year had been visiting the library with his mom where the librarian, Miss Belle, always gave him lots of books to check out and take home. One of the things his mom had helped him get when he had first moved in was a library card so he could check out as many books as he wanted. While he loved stories about superheroes, his favorites were always fairy tales, stories about good triumphing over evil. 

His favorite gifts he got that day, though, were from his mom and Robin. Robin’s gift was big and kind of heavy, and made a lot of noise when he moved it onto his lap so he could open it. When he did, his eyes lit up and he looked up at the man who was his father in all but blood and name in disbelief. “Lord of the Rings Monopoly? Really?”

“Of course,” Robin assured him. “I know how much you love magic and adventure, of course, and this series, and this was the closest I could get to finding a way so you could have all of that at I've. We can play on teams too, so Roland can play with us.”

“I can’t wait!” Henry exclaimed, beaming up at him. 

His reaction was similar when he saw what his mom had gotten for him: a book of all of his favorite fairy tales. “This way you have your own and we can find other books for you to read at the library,” she told him. “I promise, there are even more books about magic and adventure for you to discover there.”

“I love it, thanks!” he said as he reached over to hug her. Looking around, he told everyone, “I loved all of my presents and that you were all here today. Thank you.” He had thanked everyone as he opened each individual gift, but he wanted to make sure that everyone felt that their gift had been received well, especially everyone from the shelter since he knew that they had all used every spare cent they could find to buy him a notebook so that he could jot down story ideas if he was in the middle of class and thought of something for one of his stories that he just  _ had  _ to write down before he forgot. He loved everything about this day, it needed to never end. This had been the best birthday ever.

********

Once Robin had returned from taking the kids back to the shelter and it was just him, Regina, and their boys, he sighed with relief. He had, of course, helped Regina and Henry with a lot of the preparations for the party, so he was almost as tired as the birthday boy and the hostess. 

“So Henry, is there anything you’d like to do for the rest of your birthday?” he asked. 

Henry was pensive for a moment, Then, to Robin’s joy, he asked, “Can we play the Monopoly game you got me?”

Robin looked at Regina, his eyebrows raised in question. He wanted to tell the boy yes, but he was well aware that he wasn’t his parent, even if he had acted like one for his entire life. While he had made it clear to Henry that Regina was his mother and she understood and fully appreciated the role he had always played in his life, he wanted all decisions like this to be hers and hers alone. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, intentionally or otherwise.

“Of course!” she assured him. “Which character do you want to be?”

“Frodo!” he declared. “I want to be the hero.”

“They’re all heroes,” Robin reminded him. “And I’m surprised that you didn’t want to be Legolas, Gandalf, or Galadriel. They have magic, after all.”

“True…” Henry mused, “Okay, I’ll be Gandalf.”

“Roland, do you want to play with me or Regina?” Robin asked his son.

“Gina!” Roland answered enthusiastically.

Robin gasped, putting his hand over his heart as if he had been physically wounded by Roland’s words. “Abandoned by my own son? Shame on you, Roland! What will I do without you by my side?”

“It’s okay, Daddy, I’ll play with you next time!” the little boy promised, his dimpled smile making Robin’s matching dimples flash back at him. 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Robin warned. “Now, Regina, would you like to explain the game, or shall I? Roland has never played before, and I don’t believe Henry has either.” He’s well aware that his son, a few years too young for this game according to the age range on the box, will need help playing successfully, but he wants his son to understand what’s going on to the best of his ability so that he feels like he’s an essential part of the game, even though Regina will really be playing for him. He knows that the woman he loves will do everything in her power to ensure that Roland feels like he’s actually playing though, and that’s one of the many things he will always love most about her. 

“Go ahead,” she smiled, cuddling Roland closer, her affectionate eyes fixed on his. “We’re listening.”

“All right,” Robin began. “Each of us will move our character around the board. We’ll start with a certain amount of money,” he grinned at Roland, who had just learned about money in school the year before. He loved everything about it and always wanted to help his father count his change. "Each time we pass this space,” he began, indicating the Go space on the board, “We get two hundred dollars. Every time we land on one of the spaces with the different colors at the top, we can decide whether or not we want to buy that place. The more places you have the better, but it can be wise to save your money too, because each color gets more expensive as you get closer to the Go square. So Mount Doom is the most expensive thing you can buy on the board, followed closely by Barad-dur. Once you buy a property, if someone else lands on that space, they have to pay you rent. If you have all of the properties of the same color, you can build strongholds on them, one in a time. In other words, you can’t have four strongholds on one property and no strongholds anywhere else, they have to have an equal number first. Once you have three strongholds on each property, you can replace it with a fortress. These spaces,” he says, indicating the horses and staffs, “are like properties as well, Except there are only two staffs and four horses, and you can’t put strongholds on them. Do you understand so far?”

Both boys nodded, Roland somewhat hesitantly. Robin suspected that his boy didn’t fully understand the rules, but that was why one of the adults was playing with him.

“When you land on these spaces,” he instructed, indicating the People and Events spaces. “You pick up a card that’s the same color and follow the directions on the card. Both card decks have both good and bad actions on them, so whether a card will hurt you or help you isn’t determined by which deck it came from. Unless the card says otherwise, you’ll put the money in the center of the board. If you land on this space,” he told them, pointing to the game’s version of free parking, “You can get any money that’s in the center. Easy enough to understand, yeah?”

This time, both boys nodded with confidence, and Robin was pleased. “These spaces,” he told them, pointing out the tax spaces, “Will always make you pay a tax. The tax will either be a certain amount of money or a certain percentage of the money you have, whichever you can afford. The other will make you pay a certain sum whether you can afford it or not. Whenever you can’t afford something, you can turn over one of your properties. If you do, no one has to pay rent if they land there.

“Last but not least,” he said, pointing to the Go to Jail space. “This space, and some of the cards in the decks, as well as rolling doubles three times with the dice, will send you to the jail space on the game.” He pointed out that space as well. “You can get out of jail by rolling doubles or by paying a fee.

“I think that’s it,” he told them, eyes perusing the board to make sure that he had covered all of the potential scenarios that could happen. “Are you all ready to play?”

Both boys nodded excitedly and they began to play. All was going well at first. Each of them acquired properties, and Henry had to pay fifty power when he had to draw one of the Events cards. 

Their first conflict came when Robin landed on Go. He smirked. Time for the rael games to begin. Because Regina was helping Roland, he had told her that he would be the banker. That gave him the opportunity to take four hundred power now instead of the traditional two hundred. It was a rule that was debatable, depending on who his fellow players were, but he was going to do it and see what happened.

He knew immediately that Regina noticed what he had done, and he instantly knew which side she was on when she chastised him, “You still only get two hundred if you land on the space, Robin. You should know better than that. Think of the example you’re setting for your son.”

He smirked. It was just like her to use his son that way. “It’s not cheating. Some people, including me, play that way. We never specified which way we were playing.”

He could tell that Regina was trying to handle the situation in a mature way for their boys’ sake from the way she bit her lip, but her eyes shot daggers in his direction as she crossed her arms. “Fine. Since Henry and Roland haven’t played this game much, we’ll play that way this time so that if they have the chance, landing on the space can give them a boost. But next time, we’re not playing that way. Deal?”

“Fair enough,” he acquiesced, grinning from the joy of his triumph.

Play resumed, and in their next trip around the board, he suspected Regina of having the tendency to cheat as well. She already had Osgiliath, the first emerald green space, and Henry was on the space that separated the last green space, Pellinor Fields, from its matching spaces. She was on Westfold, the last yellow space, and Robin saw her roll doubles, meaning she should have landed on the same space as Henry. Instead, she went to Minas Tirith, the last green space, and he immediately called her out on it. “Wait a second, you should be where Henry is.”

“No,” she replied with an innocence that he saw through immediately. “You can’t have more than one person on a space at a time.”

“Yes you can,” Robin informed her. “This isn’t like Sorry, you can have more than one person on a space without one of them being penalized.”

“All right, fine,” Regina huffed, moving back a space. 

Play resumed, and they didn’t have any more issues (beyond explaining some of the finer points of the game to Roland again). They each had a set of properties: Robin had the yellow properties, Regina had emerald green, and Henry had orange. Then Regina bought a set of strongholds for each of the green properties, and Robin saw her place them all on Osgiliath, which had been the spot they had all landed on most frequently throughout the game so far.

He was going to call her out on it, but his son beat him to it. “Gina, that’s cheating!” he cried, pointing an accusatory finger at his partner.

Robin and Henry laughed as Regina sighed. “You know you’re being obvious when even my son can catch you at it,” Robin teased her. 

“You won’t be laughing when I win,” she smirked. 

And for awhile, Robin didn’t know who would win. As Roland fell asleep against Regina’s shoulder and she laid him on the couch in the next room while they continued to play in the kitchen, she proceeded to get all four of the horses, railroads in most versions, as well. Finally, they got to the point where she had all the money in the game and he had all of the properties, Henry having been defeated long ago. He was cheering both of them on in turn, and Robin swelled with pride knowing that he had known this bright, fair young boy since his infancy.

He remembered the day well. He had only been working at the shelter for a few years, had only just started running it. It was his dream, to help people who were living lives like the one he had escaped from. Granny had saved him from that life, taken him in and shown him another way to do more than just survive, but live his life to the fullest. Before he worked at the shelter, he had been a thief, resorting to a life of stealing to make it through each day after he ran away from his parents, who had been suffocating him with their plan for him- much like Regina’s family had done, he now knew. 

The day that Henry had come to the shelter, his predecessor and mentor, Friar Tuck, was showing him some of the finer points of how the shelter was run. Emma had brought the infant into his new office and explained what she knew of his mother. Robin was instantly drawn to the baby and what he knew of his story, his heart going out to his mother when Emma had updated him on what she knew of her situation. 

From that day on, though he tried to love everyone at the shelter equally, he had a special connection with that particular little boy. He went through a lot, from his mother giving him up to a couple agreeing to adopt him, then backing out at the last second, and all of the situations that living at the shelter brought to those young and old. Through it all, he had always made sure that Henry, and the others who were in similar situations, knew that he could count on him, and the two had an incredibly close bond thanks to that, a bond Robin never stopped being thankful for. He had been relieved when Regina had agreed to date him, not only for his sake but for Henry’s as well. Having a constant during a time of change was something that he thought was good for him, and he had been so relieved when Regina agreed. While he would be happy for his young friend, he would also be devastated if he completely lost contact with him, a dilemma he faced with all of the children who were adopted. 

He only hoped that Henry felt that he had had as good of a day as he deserved. The boy who had the strongest belief of anyone he knew deserved nothing less.

******** 

They ended the day by watching a movie. Roland had passed out on the couch long ago and Robin had carried his son up to his bed that was kept in Henry’s room. The older boy had followed them, saying that he was just going to read the book Regina had given him quietly before he turned in for the night. 

Robin was grateful for his plan. It would give him the time he needed to get Regina alone for a minute and talk to her about something that he had been thinking about for a very long time. They were spending more and more time together, had long ago expressed their mutual feelings for each other, so he thought it was time for them to take the next natural step in their relationship. 

However, he had been nervous about the upcoming conversation, had sent Regina the text asking her if they could talk quickly that morning before he lost his nerve. Now that the moment was finally upon them, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to go through with it. 

Of course, he hadn’t told Roland or Henry about his plan. If it backfired, he didn’t want either boy to be disappointed. Now, as he saw Regina walking toward him, glasses of whiskey in each hand, he felt his nerves spike again. Yes, he knew that she loved him and was happy with him, but was she ready for this? There was only one way to find out.

As Regina set the two glasses on the coffee table in front of him, she asked, “Robin, what’s wrong? Is everything all right?”

Taking a moment to collect himself, he asked, “Is now a good moment to have that talk I mentioned this morning?”

She immediately tensed visibly, her body rigid, shoulders back, eyes guarded, as if his words had made a curtain fall over them. It was clear that his text that morning had worried her- how much, though, still remained to be seen. “Yeah…” she replied slowly, clearly nervous about what he would say next. 

He reached toward her, taking her hands in his, stroking the backs with his fingertips soothingly. “I’ve been thinking. We spend all of our time together, and the boys love being together as much as we do. Obviously we’ll have to make sure this is all right with them, but what do you say to the idea of us moving in together?”

Her eyes grew wide and immediately afraid that he had gone too far, he asked, “Is it too much too soon?” How had he managed to mess this up so completely? He was always so good at reading her, how had he read the signs so wrong? She was so happy whenever he and Roland spent time with her and Henry, he thought that their time spent there at least three times a week meant that she welcomed their presence and would be thrilled at the idea of moving in together. However, he also realized that he was basically inviting himself and his son to live with her since their house was so much larger than the small studio apartment he shared with Roland, which she might not like. Finally, he decided that he should just wait, his heart beating wildly, for her to answer. Only then would he know what their future held.

Her smile filled him with an unimaginable surge of relief. His hope stirred again, made stronger by her next words: “Yes. Yes, if the boys agree to the plan, I’d love for you both to move in here.”

He drew her in to him, and brought his lips to hers. When they parted, foreheads touching, she chuckled. “You know this means we’ll have to decorate one of the guest rooms for Roland. One of the rooms is already practically his anyway.” 

“True,” he laughed. “But it’ll be worth it.”

“Mm…” she sighed, snuggling closer to him as he held her tighter. “It really will be.”

He knew that the next days and weeks would be challenging- after all, moving was never easy. But he knew it would all be worth it once he got to wake up every morning holding the woman he loved.


	5. November 26- Thanksgiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks once again to Shay and to Clare for their help with this chapter!

Regina woke on Thanksgiving already making a list of the things she had to do before they ate their meal. It was the day before the busiest season of the year (no, the busiest  _ day _ of the year, she corrected herself) at Regal Trinkets, so she knew that she had twice the amount to do as most cooks on Thanksgiving Day. She had tried to do as much as she could before she left work the day before and had enlisted Tink and Mal's help in designing displays and some other small things that needed to be done, but despite her best efforts, there was still so much to accomplish before her doors opened bright and early tomorrow morning. She was at least glad that she was an independent store owner, that she wasn't forced to open on Thanksgiving night. She appreciated being able to give her girls (and Robin when he occasionally stepped in to help, as he said he would do again for the holiday season just like he had the year before) the day to enjoy with the people they loved.

However, the tasks she needed to complete at her store were nothing compared to what she had done throughout the week to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner at her house. She had spent the week vacuuming, mopping, dusting, arranging every detail of the downstairs rooms just right for her guests. While she knew that Robin and the kids wouldn't mind a little dust here and there, her mother was also on the guest list, and knowing Cora Mills, she would notice every single mistake Regina had made while preparing to host Thanksgiving dinner at her home. 

She had to admit, though, that her mother really was trying to make amends for all of the years she had been horrible to Regina and the people she loved. She had noticed the beginning of the change on Henry's birthday, how though her comments were cruel, she had immediately stopped them when Regina asked her to, something that had never happened before. It had been the beginning of a change in her that Regina would have never foreseen, and she had to admit it was a pleasant one. She still feared that any misstep on her part would lead Cora to behave irrationally, but at least she was trying to hold back all the negativity and criticism that Regina had grown up with for Henry. That was all Regina could ask for. 

She was thankful that Robin and the boys would be able to help her some with getting ready for the day as well. She knew that they would all three want to watch the parade, but they had offered to help on commercials, even to watch from the kitchen as they helped with the day’s tasks. She didn't want to deprive the boys of an opportunity to enjoy the parade- after all, Henry hadn't always gotten to watch it growing up at the shelter, and Roland was still young enough to appreciate that Santa Claus arrived at the end to usher in the holiday season. But their guest were arriving at one o'clock to eat at two, so there would be plenty of time to enlist the little hobbit she loved and her son.

She thought about the last few months as Robin and Roland had made the transition to living with her and Henry. They were fortunate that the lease on Robin and Roland's apartment had been about to expire only a month after Robin suggested the idea to Regina. That gave them just enough time to make arrangements for moving their furniture and smaller items into Regina's house. She giggled remembering Roland's fear that some of his stuffed animals might be left at their apartment and not taken to the new house. It had taken promising him that they wouldn't all be packed into a box and letting him hold his favorite, a fox that he had dubbed Robin Hood, to convince him that all of his things that he loved would still be at Regina's house once they made the transition. She knew that he loved her and Henry, but it still made her heart clench at the thought that there was a part of him that didn't want to live with them.

Something that had helped him with living in the new house that she had made a reality the weekend after they moved in was decorating his new room so that he felt like it was his own space. He had been so excited to pick out a color scheme, insisting on a forest theme with lots of animals so that, "all my animals will feel like they're home, Gina!"

She had laughed at that. She doubted that his dolphin and turtle would feel at home in the forest environment he picked, but her heart swelled at this proof of his kind heart. 

Once Roland had settled in, everything had been smooth sailing. She loved having all four of the men she loved constantly under one roof, spending her days playing with the boys and teaching them. As much as she loved the youngest members of her family, though, she had to admit that her favorite part of the day was when she and Robin would finally go to bed. It was there, cuddling together under the weight of the sheets, that they talked about anything and everything. They had gotten to know each other well on dates over the last eight months, but it was in those moments that they traded stories of their childhoods and Robin told her about Henry and Roland growing up. She soaked in the stories of her son's youngest years. To her, they were a fountain of fresh water to her desert of a soul. 

It was also in those moments that she dared to tell him her darkest secrets, the constant pressure that had been growing up as Cora Mills' daughter. In return, he told her of his past, how growing up led him to the streets and then to Tuck and Arrows to Hope. 

But they didn't just talk about the past. They would use those nights to tell each other their hopes and dreams for the future as well. He had, of course, known about how she started Regal Trinkets since shortly after they met, but it was at night after the boys had gone to bed that she dared to share her dreams of making it possible for children who were less fortunate to have toys. Now that she didn’t have a valid reason for avoiding every shelter in town, she wanted to make up for lost time. She wanted to help those children in any way she could, and one way that she had brainstormed with Robin would be starting at her store the following day. She was going to host a toy drive, so that any toys she collected could be given to the children at Arrows to Hope and the other shelters in town. She knew that there were other organizations who did the same thing, but she wanted to make sure that of all the children in the world, the children in need who lived in Storybrooke weren’t forgotten. And she knew that Robin, who had connections with all of the shelters in the area, would be able to help her do that. 

Speaking of one of the people she loved most, she was brought out of her mental checklist by Robin's arm tightening around her as he urged her to turn toward him. He kissed her so softly that butterflies fluttered their wings in her stomach, making her feel like a teenager experiencing her first love instead of a woman who had once been well-versed in the joys of having another person who was her other half. “That was a nice way to wake up,” she remarked once their lips parted.

He smirked. “It was. Good morning love. How did you sleep?”

She took a moment to contemplate her answer, and in her silence, he deduced what her response would be. “Worried about that to-do list of yours again?” he asked. There was no hint of teasing in his voice. He knew just how much her mother’s opinion mattered to her even when it shouldn’t and how she hoped that her toy drive would be a success. She had debated about starting it a week before, but knew that few people wanted to think about the holidays before the week of Thanksgiving. She prayed that she would still have enough time to collect toys, that the giving spirit of the season would move people’s hearts to help her support children who needed it most. She hoped that children’s kind hearts would lead them to encourage their families to give as well, but knew from experience that that may not always be the case. As she had been reminded when Henry told her stories of the bully Gideon was at the shelter and her own recollections of growing up with Cora Mills as a mother, not everyone embraced the giving nature of the season. Her store was the most popular one of its kind, though, so she knew that if any toy store in the area had a chance of helping those in need, it was Regal Trinkets. 

“Yes,” she finally answered. “There’s just so much to do before the day is over.”

“I know,” Robin told her, a sympathetic smile on his face. That smile faltered as his eyebrows creased with worry. “Can you promise me something?”

“Anything,” she replied. She knew that she might regret those words in a moment, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt first. 

“Promise me that you’ll take some time today to relax,” Robin suggested. “To take a break from the busy day and enjoy everything we’ve built for almost a year now. There are so many things to be thankful for, and I want you to have the chance to remember that.”

She couldn’t help grinning. She thought that that was actually a promise she could keep without taking too much time from what needed to be done. In the meantime, she would make sure that this Thanksgiving was the best one yet for the family she had built.

********

Henry was so excited for his first Thanksgiving with his mom. He had enjoyed all of his previous Thanksgivings at the shelter, yes, but there was something about knowing he would be able to enjoy the parade on a nice comfy couch, the soft carpet under his feet, a stark contrast to the hard cement floors that were the foundation of the rooms at the shelter. It would also be different but nice in a way to not have to worry about there not being enough, for his favorite dishes to still be there when he got to that place in the line. His mom had even promised that he and Roland would be first in line!

It was time for their Thanksgiving meal now, and he, Roland and Robin had just watched Santa in the parade. Even though Henry knew by now that Santa wasn't real- growing up in a shelter had shattered that fairy tale for him long ago- he loved seeing the boy he saw as his brother so excited about the man in the red suit. 

His grandmother had arrived not long ago, and as she had on his birthday, Cora chose to ignore him. Things were maybe better than they were the last time they had seen each other so far, but he didn't really know. His mom had hated what her mother had said to him that day, had been even more reluctant to let him be anywhere near her, but he had insisted that he could handle anything she threw his way, that he wasn’t a little kid anymore. Now, she sat at the other end of the table (he noticed that his mom had strategically given her a seat that was as far away from his as possible) and a silence fell over them all as they waited for Regina to speak. He knew that she had a Thanksgiving tradition in mind that she wanted them to start, and knowing what it was and his surprise for her, he couldn’t wait. 

Regina began by thanking them all for being there. She explained the tradition she wanted to start: for everyone to share one thing they were thankful for. She began by looking at Robin, who sat at her left hand and across from Henry, linking their hands, and saying, “I’m so thankful for you. You gave me hope when I needed it most last Christmas. Not only that, but it’s thanks to you that I have my son and a new family. I can’t wait to see what our story has in store for us next.”

Henry could tell from the huff his grandmother expelled that she didn’t like Regina’s answer. Maybe she hoped that his mom would say that she was thankful she had joined them,, but Henry didn’t blame her for not saying that. To his surprise, though, she said nothing until it was her turn to speak. “Although I wish that my daughter had been polite and said that she was thankful for my presence and for my giving birth to her, I will choose to rise above her slight and say that I am thankful that I am here today, that my daughter made the correct decision and invited me.”

Henry was speechless, and he saw that everyone else was too. His grandmother had basically just said that she was happy to be there, something that he thought he wouldn’t ever hear her say. It took him long enough to process that fact that by the time he did, it was his turn to say what he was thankful for. 

“Henry?” Robin said gently, getting his attention by nudging his food under the table. “It’s your turn.”

“Right,” Henry said, His hands were shaking as he reached into his pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper that he had folded and unfolded so many times that he was surprised that he could still read every word, especially since it was so old. Robin’s eyes lit up with recognition- he had certainly helped Henry read the letter enough times when he was a child to know it almost as well as he did. “What I’m thankful for most this year is my mom. That she found me this year and gave me a new home and that she decided to give me my best chance all those years ago.” He saw his mom and grandmother exchange glances, but neither one of them spoke. “I still have the letter she left for me on the day she left me with Emma, and I want to share it with you all so you can see how much she’s changed since then.”

Eyes the color of cocoa were glistening as they looked at him. Henry smiled before he unfolded the letter and began to read,

_ “Dear Henry, _

_ I'm your mommy. I know you must be wondering why you're here instead of at home with me. The truth is, I want you to be happy. I want you to have everything you deserve, and I couldn't give you that. I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but I love you, my little prince. I hope that you'll see someday that I did this to give you your best chance.  _

_ I love you, to the moon and back.  _

_ Mommy" _

He heard a stifled sob coming from next to him, and he looked over at his mom, who seemed to be fighting her tears. He reached over and squeezed her hand, an action he saw Robin mirror on her other side. “You’ve changed so much from the woman who tried and failed to have a life with me from the beginning, Mom,” he told her quietly. “Ever since you brought me home from Arrows to Hope, I’ve known that you would never give up on me again. Besides, the day that you gave up on me, you had just lost my dad too. I can barely even imagine how hard that must have been.”

The look of pride she gave him couldn’t be understated. He didn’t think she had ever shown him she loved him more in the past year than in that moment. “I love you, Henry,” she whispered so softly only he could hear her.

As they ate, he noticed that Cora didn’t say much. For the majority of the meal, she only spoke when asked a direct question by his mom or Robin. He wanted to try too, he really did, but every time he would start to make an effort, Roland would start talking with him about something insignificant and by the time he had indulged him, his opportunity to talk to Cora was gone and he fell once more into silence. 

After the meal was over, it was time for dessert. Henry and Roland had helped his mom with her famous apple pie, and he couldn’t wait for everyone to try it. They had ice cream as well, which Henry knew would be a hit, especially when paired with the apple pie. 

By the time Cora stood to leave, Henry was barely able to move, a full food coma setting in. He could tell that Roland felt the same way. They were both lying on the two couches in the main room, their eyes barely open, while Robin and Regina said goodbye to Cora. 

"Henry," Regina said, popping her head into the room. "I know you're tired, and I promise, as soon as she leaves I'll let you give in to the food coma that you're fighting right now, but can you say goodbye to your grandmother first please?"

He nodded and dragged himself off the couch. Cora was pulling on her coat, a classy black one that matched her personality when he had first met her. Now, he wasn’t so sure. Judging by what she had said when they were at the table earlier that day, she was maybe starting to change from the cruel woman he had met months ago. That woman would never have smiled at him, not like she was doing now. 

"Goodbye, Henry," she said, inclining her head.

He frowned, but wasn't surprised. He knew that Cora Mills wasn't your average grandma, but still, weren't grandmas supposed to at least give you a hug when you saw them? "Goodbye." He had never known exactly what to call her (after all, she wasn't the grandmotherly type), but knew he had to say something. 

At his words, she turned to his mom and told her, "I suppose I'll see you at Christmas."

"Yes, I guess you will," his mom replied, her mouth pressed in a tight line that Henry had come to learn was how his mom looked when she was trying not to show someone when she wasn't happy. 

With that, Cora left.

********

Once the door had shut behind her, Regina leaned against it, closing her eyes. Finally, the most stressful part of the day was over, something Robin reminded her of when he came to her, rubbed her forearms and said soothingly, "Breathe, love. It's over."

"Yes, but I still have to put together the toy donation area and we're going to the shelter and-"

"Would it help if I went to the shelter with the boys and made that one less thing on your plate today?" Robin offered.

She was taken aback by the idea. Yes, she appreciated that he was only trying to help, but she wanted to go to the shelter, had been looking forward to the break it would give her. After all, she had promised Robin she would do that, and while she had other ideas of ways to do it, to her, this was one of the most important things on her list of things to do that day. She had always wanted to give back, but had been too afraid of her past after she left Henry at Arrows to Hope. Now, she was trying to make up for it by helping her community as much as she could. And in her mind, there was no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with the people she was most thankful for at the place that had changed her life forever. "No, of course I'll come. I just might go to the store first and get that done so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, giving her a little peck. With that, he gathered the boys and they went their separate ways.

********

She smiled as she watched Henry interact with all of his friends. They had spent the last year catching up on all of the things they had missed when they were apart- once she had decided to be his mom, she had wanted to learn everything there was to know about him. Thanks to long talks and frequent visits to the shelter, she had learned all of his friends' names and everything about each one of them.

She loved coming here. The way this mismatched group of people always came together to be a family inspired her, pushed her to be a better person, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Will came over to her, his arms open wide. "Oi! Where's my Thanksgiving dinner?"

She chuckled. "I invited you, but you said you wanted to go to Ana's for Thanksgiving this year, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that’s right," Will said, hand coming to his chin as he pretended to remember the information.

"How was spending Thanksgiving with her family? Are wedding bells in the future?" she asked. Will and Ana had been dating for years, and she knew that he had been saying that he wanted to propose, but for reasons she didn't understand, he hadn't done it yet. 

He groaned. "Regina…" he said warningly.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Will, you've been telling me for  _ years  _ that you want to marry her. What's holding you back?"

"Savings," he answered simply. 

While she understood that answer, she really did, at this point she found it hard to believe that he hadn't saved enough. Then again, he did work at the shelter, so from that angle, she could understand how he found it hard to put anything away in a savings account. "I can understand that, but Will, does she at least know you're saving for it? It's been seven years, I'm sure she's wondering when or if you'll ever propose."

"She knows, all right?" he answered, clearly getting frustrated with her. "Now can you stop badgering me?"

"Of course," she said, testing a hand on his arm. "I just want to see you happy, Will, and I've never seen you happier than when you're with her."

A smile spread slowly across his face. "Yeah, she does. But we don't have to get married right away to stay happy, y'know?"

"I do," she told him, and with that, they separated and each walked toward the people they loved, him joining Ana, who was talking to some of the other adults at the shelter, and her toward Robin, who she wasn't surprised to see was playing with some of the kids. She was, however, surprised to see that Gideon was in the group, along with Henry, Grace, Violet, Roland, and Neal. 

They were playing musical chairs, and she had been able to hear the music pausing and playing again as she was talking to Will. Now, she watched as the remaining players, Grace, Gideon, and Roland, moved carefully around the two remaining chairs. Suddenly, the music stopped, and she saw Gideon push Roland out of the way as he snagged the only remaining chair, since Grace had managed to claim the other chair before either of the two boys. "Excuse me," she interrupted, immediately wanting to defend the boy who she had quickly come to see as her son over the past year, "What did I just see you do to Roland?" She knew that the older boy did nothing but harass others from what Henry had told her about his years here, but she hated seeing his cruelty toward children younger than him with her own eyes. 

"Nothing," he said innocently, trying to pretend he hadn't done anything wrong.

"That's not what I saw. You pushed poor Roland out of the way so you could have the last chair. Why would you do that? He's only five, he's too young for someone to do something like that. If you didn't want to play the game correctly, you should have played something else instead."

"I'm not a baby, Gina. I can stand up for myself," Roland muttered quietly, his eyes fixed on the ground. Too late, she realized that she had embarrassed him, and she felt horrible about it.

"I know you're not," she said softly. "But we have to make sure he understands what he did wrong, right? Who better to tell him that than an adult?"

"I guess so," Roland said, his eyes still focused on the ground below him instead of what was in front of him. Lifting up his chin, she saw that his eyes were filled with fear. The thought of this bully targeting this poor innocent boy who not only hadn't done anything wrong, but was also like a son to her, filled her with an anger she had never known before. In her months as a mom this year, she had quickly learned the ferocity that only protecting her children could awaken within her. 

Her attention returned to Gideon. "I never want to see you bullying my son again, is that understood?"

"Just because you're dating Robin doesn't make you the boss of me!" Gideon retorted.

Before Regina could respond, she felt a familiar hand on her waist. "But I  _ am _ in charge of you, and I say that she is too," Robin interjected. 

Gideon groaned, but to Regina's surprise, he backed off. 

"What would I do without you?" Regina asked, smirking. She knew that his response would be cocky in some way.

Sure enough: "You wouldn't last a second, love," he answered with a cheeky grin. Sobering, he added, "In all seriousness, though, you were handling things just fine on your own. Henry's lucky to have a mom like you."

"I hope so," Regina sighed. She thought- she hoped- that she was a good mom for Henry, and Roland too. But she always worried that her own mother's influence would be too strong, that she would end up enforcing ridiculously high expectations. Every time those doubts surfaced in her mind, Robin was the one who assuaged her fears, just like he was doing now.

"I know so," he replied firmly, and with that, she set her fears aside and enjoyed the remainder of their time at the shelter.

********

Once they got home later that night, Regina decided to tuck Henry into bed. She had told him the night he first came home with her that she knew that he was old enough to go to bed on his own, but that she wanted to take advantage of the opportunities she had missed when he was growing up at the shelter. To her relief, he had agreed, and while they didn't read together like they might have if he was younger (she had learned long ago that he was an avid reader, well advanced for his age), they spent that time together talking. They talked throughout the day too, of course, but she often found that her son, who had grown up to be so strong, was at his most vulnerable right before he fell asleep, when he was sometimes so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. 

"How did you like your first Thanksgiving here, Henry?" she asked, pulling up his blanket for him as she did every night and sitting on the edge of his bed.

Her question was met with a broad smile. "It was awesome!" he told her. 

"Better than ones at the shelter?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye. She and Robin had teased each other about who threw the best holiday celebrations endlessly, and she wanted Henry's opinion on the subject since he wasn't biased toward either of them. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he  _ was  _ biased, but he was biased toward both of them equally: the man who had practically raised him and his biological mother.

"Trying to sway Henry to your side?" Robin asked as he popped his head in. 

"Of course not," Regina answered quickly- too quickly, she knew from the grin Robin gave her. 

"We will see about that, about that we will see," Robin sang as he walked out of the room once more. 

She returned her attention to Henry, who was starting to close his eyes, the food coma from a second round of Thanksgiving dinner threatening to take control. "What was your favorite part of the day?" she asked. They had talked about things like his favorite food that was traditionally served before, but she wanted to know if anything had changed from previous years, partly because she knew they probably had.

"Spending it with you," he responded through a yawn. 

His answer melted her heart. She didn't know how she managed to have a son who was the kindest soul she knew, especially after everything he had been through because of her.

Remembering the letter he had shared with the rest of the family, she kissed his forehead. "Remember what I said I was thankful for? I take that back. I'm most thankful for you."

His eyes were closed, but she saw him smile at her words. She squeezed his hand and left the room, turning the light off and closing the door on her way out. 

She met Robin in the hallway, and they walked downstairs together to spend what remained of the evening alone. "Successful first Thanksgiving as a mom?" he asked as they cuddled on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder.

"The best," she hummed quietly. 

"You know, we're going to have to make more food for Christmas. Will and Ana are joining us, after all, and you know he eats more than both boys combined, especially during the holidays."

She chuckled. "I know. But can I enjoy what's left of Thanksgiving before I worry about Christmas please?"

"Of course, love," he told her, kissing the top of her head, something he knew made her melt. 

They spent the rest of the evening talking quietly before heading up to bed and falling asleep in each other's arms, Regina wondering what the rest of the holiday season would bring.

  
  
  
  
  



	6. December 25- Christmas Day

Henry was woken on Christmas morning by Roland jumping into his bed. "Wake up, Henry, wake up! It's Christmas!!"

Groaning, Henry sat up and got out of bed. "Why don't you get our presents for Mom and your dad ready? I'll be there in a minute." He knew that today was going to be a big day. He was sure that his mom was going to love one of the presents Robin had gotten her (he had told Henry what it was only after he had sworn not to tell his mom, and had even helped him pick it out- and though Robin had his doubts, Henry was positive his mom would be excited about it), and he hoped that she would like the present he had been working on for months now. He wanted her to be proud of him, and in his opinion, this was one of the best things he had ever created. He only hoped she thought so too.

Regina had told the boys to wait at the top of the steps so they could all see if Santa had come together. Of course, Gideon and other older kids at the shelter had told him that Santa wasn't real years before, a truth he had refused to believe for years (partly because Gideon was the one saying it). The previous year, though, he had snuck down to the shelter's main room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man in the red suit himself. Instead, all he had seen was Robin laying out gifts under the tree, and it was then that his dreams of Santa giving him everything he wanted for Christmas were shattered. 

His hope had been restored later that day though, because he had found out that Regina, the nice lady that had been spending a lot of time with him over the past week, was his mom. It was then that he knew that even if Santa wasn't real, miracles and magic did exist and his belief in it grew even stronger. He knew that after that Christmas, nothing could extinguish his belief, no matter how old he got. 

Roland ran back in the room. "Henry, come on! You're just as bad as Papa and Gina!"

Laughing, Henry swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, walking to where the energetic younger boy was standing by the door. "You didn't wake them up, did you?" He had always been cautious about going into his mom's room if she was asleep, and thanks to school that year (and talking with Robin afterward), had learned quickly that going into his mom's room once Robin and Roland had moved in wasn't a good idea. However, Roland was much too young to understand why, so there was no way to warn him not to go in other than saying, “You know, they might want some time alone first thing in the morning.”

The little boy he considered his little brother pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. “But Henry, it’s Christmas!”

Henry sighed. There was only one way to offer him a compromise. “How about this: We’ll knock on their door to tell them we’re ready, but we won’t go in? There’ll be plenty of time to tell them Merry Christmas once they’re up.”

“Okay,” Roland gave in. He went over to their door and knocked. “Papa! Gina! Wake up, it’s Christmas! We have to see if Santa came!”

Henry heard movement on the other side of the door and said, “Okay Rolan, they’re coming. Let’s go wait for them at the top of the steps.”

Roland seemed reluctant, but to Henry’s relief heeded his words and walked with him to the top of the steps, sitting down to wait for their parents. 

Beside him, Roland was so excited that he couldn’t stay still, fidgeting and tapping his feet on the step below them. “What’s taking them so long, Henry?”

“They’ll be out in a minute,” Henry assured him. “We just have to be patient.”

Sure enough, he heard the door open behind them not long after they had knocked, letting their parents know they were awake. “Are you boys excited for Christmas? Robin asked. 

“YEAH!” Roland shouted, jumping up. 

Henry decided to be a bit more dignified. “I am,” he grinned as he stood up. “Are you?” He knew Robin had something planned for his mom later that day, and wanted everything to go well for him. 

Instead of giving away any of his plans, the man he had always thought of as his father simply nodded. “Now let’s go see if Santa came, yeah?”

“Yeah!” Roland exclaimed. 

“Wait!” Regina cried. “I want to get a picture first.”

Roland groaned. “Do we have to?”

“Just one quick picture, then I promise, we can go downstairs,” she assured him. “After all, I can’t let these matching pajamas go to waste, neither one of you will probably fit in yours next year.” 

She was probably right, Henry knew. He already was too tall for clothes his mom had bought for him when he first came to live with her, his jeans coming to his ankles instead of his feet, his sleeves too short to cover his arms during the cold winter months. She had insisted that he needed new clothes, so she had taken him shopping and gotten more clothes for him than he knew what to do with. With everything she had given him in the past year- a room of his own, a mom, a  _ family _ \- he didn’t know how this Christmas could possibly surpass the year before.

So he and Robin encouraged Roland, “One quick picture, then we’ll go downstairs, all right?”

“Well, two,” Regina amended as Henry joined Roland in groaning. “One vertical, one horizontal, that’s all I ask.”

That was how they ended up with not just one, but two pictures of him and Roland with their matching red pajama sets. When it was over, he turned to the younger boy, a gleam in his eyes. "Want to race me downstairs?"

"Yeah!"

"Wait for me to be out of the way, and  _ be careful _ ," his mom warned as she walked down the steps. 

"All right, boys, are you ready?" Robin asked, grinning. Knowing him, Henry guessed that he was restraining himself from racing down the steps with them. Robin was often a kid just as much as he and Roland were.

"Ready… Set… GO!"

But Roland had cheated, starting to run down the steps at the word "set." Henry jumped down two steps at a time to catch up to him, and by the time they reached the first floor, he didn't know who was the winner.

"All right, are you boys done and ready for presents?" his mom asked, a hint of a smile on her lips. 

But apparently she hadn’t noticed that Roland had already run into the next room until they all heard him yell, “SANTA CAME!”

The adults and Henry laughed and went into the room. They found Roland sifting through the presents, trying to find any with his name on it.

“Sweetheart, Santa left some with your name on them in a pile over here,” his mom told him, leading Roland over to a small pile of gifts that were right by his usual spot on the couch. 

They took turns opening presents, and while Henry loved what his mom and Robin got him (especially the matching bows, complete with quivers full of arrows and a target, that both he and Roland received- with strict instructions to only use them outside), he kept waiting anxiously for his mom to open her presents from him and Robin. At last, she picked up the package he had wrapped in red paper with a black bow on top (which he knew wasn’t very festive, but his mom always said that black was  _ her _ color). 

“What’s this?” she asked, lifting the rectangular box that Henry had wrapped his present in and shaking it.

“Why don’t you find out?” Robin asked, winking at Henry. He, of course, knew what Henry’s present for his mom was, had even helped him with some of the trickier parts of putting it together. 

His mom nodded, then slowly peeled back the paper wrapped around the box. Once she opened it and pulled out the book bound in blue that laid inside, she looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Henry? What is this?”

“It-it’s the story of us,” he answered nervously. “I wrote it and Robin helped me with the binding.”

She turned her attention to the man in question, who was watching their interaction with a grin on his face. “You knew about this?”

“Of course,” he told her, grinning at them both. “Merry Christmas, love.”

She was silent for a moment as she flipped through the pages, and Henry waited with bated breath for the verdict. Did she like his present or not? Maybe she didn’t like being reminded of that painful part of her past, maybe he should have glossed over it, maybe-

When she looked at him again, he saw tears glistening in her eyes, which only made his doubts increase. When she next spoke, her words were almost unclear, and he could tell that she was talking despite a lump in her throat. “Henry,” she praised, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear. “This is incredible.”

His heart soared at her words, and he bowed his head modestly, his cheeks starting to turn red. "Really? You're not just saying that?" He knew he was no JK Rowling or JRR Tolkien, that she could just be saying that because he was her son and this was his Christmas present for her, but even the possibility that she genuinely liked a Christmas gift that he had been working on slowly but surely all year made his heart feel like it was flying.

"Really. You have a gift, Henry, a gift Robin told me about over a year ago, but seeing what you can use your talents to create? This is the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten. I love you, Henry."

His cheeks were on fire now. He had hoped she would like it, but he hadn't expected such high praise from her. "I love you too, Mom."

They continued opening presents, and he kept an eye out for what he knew Robin had gotten her, but he didn't see her open it. Finally, wrapping paper was strewn all over the floor, each present unwrapped, and he still hadn't seen Robin's gift for his mom anywhere. So when Roland ran into the kitchen with his mom to get breakfast out of the oven and plates and silverware on the table, he hung back, wanting to talk to him alone.

"What is it, Henry?" Robin asked quietly, his brow furrowed. "Is something wrong? Did you not like something you got, and are too afraid to tell your mom?"

"No, no, it's not that, I loved everything, especially my bow and arrows!" he quickly reassured him. "It's just-" he glanced into the kitchen to make sure that his mom was too preoccupied with Roland to listen in on their conversation. "Don't you have another present for Mom? One she hasn't gotten to open yet?"

Robin grinned, his smile like the first rays of the morning sun. "I do. But Henry, that present is one I want to give her when we have a little more privacy. Experiences that special are all about timing. You understand why, yeah?"

Henry nodded. Knowing what the gift was, he could imagine that Robin had the perfect plan for how to give it to his mom. 

"Good," Robin said, putting a hand on his back as he guided him to the kitchen. "Now let's go have some breakfast."

One of the first things Henry had learned about his first Christmas with his mom was that she always made a special breakfast every Christmas that she had made for Easter as well, one that required a lot of hard work to put together. The base of the casserole was a whole loaf of bread, cut into cubes. Over that was a layer of sausage, followed by a mixture of two sticks of butter and a pound of Velveeta cheese that Henry had begged to be allowed to stir both at Easter and the night before so that it was just right. While she hadn't agreed earlier in the year, afraid that he would burn himself, she had relented this time, handing him the spoon with strict instructions to avoid the steam coming out of the double boiler at all costs. He had laughed, reminding her that he had cooked with Robin and Granny at the shelter more times than he could count, asking Robin to back him up. Robin had patted his shoulder and assured his mom that everything would be fine, but that didn't stop her from worrying the entire time he was stirring before she took it from him to pour over the sausage before putting the final layer, a bubbly milk and eggs mixture, on top.

Now, his mom was getting the casserole out of the oven, and Henry couldn't help but notice that his mouth was watering at the sight of it. The dish had turned from a pale yellow to something that was closer to a golden color, spots of a chocolate brown indicating that she had kept it in the oven for just long enough for it to be cooked completely. Robin and Roland, who hadn't been with them when they made it in the spring, peered curiously at it, though to some degree Henry didn't know why, because Robin had helped them make it the night before.

"Looks delicious, love," he praised, leaning over to kiss his mom's temple as Henry looked away. He loved that Robin had found his happy ending with his mom, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to see them kiss all the time (a feeling Roland echoed when he cried, “Gross!”) 

She smiled at the compliment, cautioning, "Don't say that until you've tried it." She served Roland the small corner she had reserved just for him, one free of sausage (he had complained that it was "yucky" the night before), and he clapped his hands as she set his plate in front of him and separated the casserole enough for it to start to cool. 

"Careful," she told him, glancing around at him and Robin to show them that her words were for them as well before returning her attention to Roland. "It's really hot still, so you might have to wait a couple of minutes for it to cool."

"Okay, Gina!" Roland said obediently, and Henry exchanged grins with Robin, who was sitting on his right. He had always loved the interactions between his mom and Roland. They were always full of innocence and purity, something Henry hadn't gotten to experience often at the shelter, especially with Gideon there trying to terrorize the younger kids every chance he got. Christmas had been an especially tricky situation. All of them got presents, he knew that Santa (who he now knew had really been Robin) had made sure of that every year. But somehow, the older boy always managed to find a way to make other kids' lives miserable by trying to take the one gift they had gotten that year away from them. Henry had done what he could to stop him once he was older, of course, and on the rare occasion when he didn't succeed, he made sure that whoever had had their present cruelly taken away from them had the chance for him to read a story to them, their favorite one, so that they could escape reality for a little bit as they got lost in the world of the book they loved most. 

Once everyone was served, Henry separated it with his fork to make sure it cooled, then bit a small forkful, humming as his mouth was filled with the cheesy goodness. He didn't know what he had done without this breakfast dish in his life, it was one of the best things he had ever tasted. 

All too soon, he was stuffed, but not so stuffed that he didn't want to play with the presents he had gotten. He had asked Robin and his mom if they needed help in the kitchen, but they had both shaken their heads and told him no, that they had appreciated his offer but that he should enjoy being a kid on Christmas. 

So he had taken Roland out of the kitchen, persuaded him to resist sticking his finger into a bowl and licking it with games of princes and pirates. All the while, he couldn't help thinking of the coming afternoon and what it would entail: seeing Cora. He always told his mom that he could handle her, and while that was the truth, he never knew exactly what would happen every time he saw her. Sometimes, like the funeral and his birthday, she seemed awful, so mean that there was a part of him that couldn't help being glad that his mom had spared him from her negative presence for all these years. But then there were days like Thanksgiving when he wondered if she wasn't as cruel as his mom always said. She had seemed like she was starting to change her mind about them, maybe even appreciate them, but he wouldn't know for sure until he saw her again if he had imagined things the last time they saw each other.

With that thought, the doorbell rang, and he and Roland glanced at each other, then raced to answer it. To Henry's relief, it was Will and Ana, and he immediately hugged them. While Robin had been like both a brother and a father to him over the years, Will had forever been an older brother, the fun uncle who was perpetually getting him into trouble. 

Sure enough, when he walked in Regina's house, he whispered, "All right, lads. You've both had lots of time to explore this house, so tell me: what's the best way for the three of us to get into trouble?"

Judging by the horrified look on Roland's face, he was thinking exactly what Henry was: his mom would make them all pay if they did anything to mess up her perfectly clean house after she had worked so hard to make it spotless over the last few days. "Uncle Will, I don't think that's the best idea…" he warned, while Roland nodded vigorously beside him.

“Oh nonsense, you’re just like your mother. There’s nothing wrong with a little exploring, right?”

“Will, what are you plotting now?” Ana asked as she came up behind them. 

"Oh, nothing love," Will assured her.

"Sure…" she muttered as she shook her head and walked away. 

Before he followed her, he instructed in a loud whisper, "Think of some ideas, boys, and we'll make this party a bit more exciting." 

Once he was gone, Roland turned to Henry, his eyes big. "Are we going to do what Uncle Will says?"

"Of course not," Henry assured him. His eyes lit up. "But I think I have an idea of how we can pull a prank on him, one that won't get us in too much trouble. In fact, I think we can even get my mom and your dad in on it."

"Really?" Roland asked, his eyes still wide, but a smile starting to spread on his face. 

Henry nodded. "Here's what we'll do…"

********

Regina heard the distinctive sound of Cora's heels entering the kitchen and a sense of dread filled her. Even with the fresh start they had been trying to have that year, she knew that it was likely that nothing good would come of their time alone. "What do you want, Mother?"

"To talk to you privately," she requested.

Regina frowned.  _ Here we go…  _ She sighed and turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. She had considered drying dishes with a towel to keep her hands busy, but she knew Cora would consider that ride. "What is it, Mother?"

"I wanted to apologize," Cora began.

Regina stopped short, unable to believe she had heard her correctly. Cora Mills had  _ never  _ apologized for anything in her life. It was doubtful that she would start now, even with their tentative reconciliation since her father's passing. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"You heard me," Cora said drily. "I just wanted you to know that I appreciate the second chance-"

_ Billionth chance, _ Regina thought, but didn't say. She was afraid that one misstep might ruin what was shaping up to be an interesting conversation.

"... that you've given me. This past year without your father has been… lonely for me. You and Henry are the only family I have left, and I'm sorry I wasted all these years, that you were so distant for so long because of me."

"I... appreciate the apology," Regina said slowly. "But you do know that I'm not the one you owe an apology."

For a moment, it seemed like Cora was going to say something, but she bit her tongue. "You're right." 

Regina's eyebrows rose to her hairline. This really was a day of surprises. First her mother was apologizing, then she admitted that Regina was right. "I'm right?"

"Yes. Don't make me say it again, Regina," Cora chastised. "I should have never made you choose between your son and your career, it was wrong. And honestly, looking back, you made the wrong choice."

"That may be," Regina answered. "But if I had chosen Henry, he and I wouldn't have had a stable source of income back then with the store just starting up, and we still would have struggled, maybe even failed. So as hard as it was, you were maybe right that I couldn't have it all. And I appreciate that you're admitting you were wrong, and I'm sure Henry will too. Just… be careful, all right, Mother? It is Christmas, after all, his first one with me. I want it to be a happy one for him."

"Regina, he's not a child anymore," her mother reminded her.

"He may not be a child, but he has the purest heart of anyone I know. He believes that there's goodness left in the world, and I don't want you crushing him in any way on Christmas," Regina warned.

"All right. I'll leave you to it," Cora responded, and with that, Regina was left alone in the kitchen once more, somewhat nervous about what the coming meal would bring.

*******

Dinner (really middle of the afternoon lunch, Henry thought) with his grandma hadn't even begun, and Henry could already sense that something was different. His grandma was even more quiet than usual, and he noticed that his mom had let her sit closer to him, something that surprised him. Since she had come back into their lives, his mom had done everything in her power to keep them as far apart as she could. He didn't know what had caused that change, but so far, they hadn't said anything to each other. Henry wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to start with. What did you say to the woman who was responsible for you spending the first decade of your life in a shelter instead of with your mom? Roland was sitting on his other side, but he knew the younger boy would be no help. He was on his own.

"What did you get for Christmas?" he asked tentatively. Surely, Christmas presents were a harmless topic of conversation… Right?

Her chuckle caught Henry off guard. "When you get to be my age, Henry, presents start to matter a lot less. Especially when the person you loved most in the world is gone, and the only people you have left don't care about you- with good reason."

"You mean my grandpa?" he asked. He didn't know anything about him other than all of the good stuff his mom had told him, but maybe asking about him would help make this easier. He was named after him, after all.

"Yes," she said. 

"What was he like?" he asked.

"From what your mom has told me, he was a lot like you," she said softly. "He believed in people. When your mom and dad decided to start Regal Trinkets, he was the one who always encouraged them. He knew that they would be able to have everything they always wanted, even when your parents found out that your mother was pregnant with you."

"But you didn't," he stated. Why beat around the bush? They both knew it was true. 

"I didn't," Cora sighed. She had been facing forward, but now she shifted so she was looking him directly in the eye. "And Henry, this year has shown me just how wrong I was. Your mother gave you to Robin's shelter because of me, and for that, I'm more sorry than I can say."

“What?” Henry questioned. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Was Cora really turning over a new leaf and starting a new chapter in their story like he had hoped she would this whole time?

Cora laughed. “Your mother said the exact same thing, and I can understand why. You’ll learn quickly that I don’t often repeat things that are hard for me to say- I don't think anyone does. It's hard for people to admit that they were wrong, but I’m sorry I kept you and your mother apart for most of your life, Henry. It was wrong, I should have seen how much she loved you and really helped her have everything she wanted instead of making her choose between Regal Trinkets and you."

"Really?" Henry asked, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. Hope was blossoming in his chest, the hope that maybe they really could have a fresh start after all.

She smiled. "Really. Am I forgiven?" 

She opened her arms- an offer. One that Henry would happily accept, and even though it was a little awkward since they were sitting down, he was finally in his grandmother's embrace for the first time. He saw his mom watching them, and they exchanged smiles. Things were turning out even better than he had hoped this Christmas.

When they broke apart, he asked his grandmother, "What do you want me to call you? I've avoided calling you anything."

She laughed. "I can understand that. How about Grandmother?"

He made a face. "Too formal."

"Granny?" she suggested.

He shook his head adamantly. "Granny's at the shelter."

"I see," she said slowly, clearly pondering what to offer next. "Grandma?"

He nodded, giving her a once-over to see if the name would fit. "I like it." It was refined, but not too formal at the same time. He could remember how stern she had seemed almost every other time he had interacted with her, but today something about her was softer somehow, as if someone had taken sandpaper and smoothed out all of the rough edges. Her eyes were kind, not narrowed in anger, her shoulders and general presence more calm than he had ever seen her. 

"Good, that's settled." Cora smiled. "Now, why don't we go see what your mother made for dessert?"

"We made cookies!" Henry cheerfully told her. He grinned at Roland. "But first, we have a new tradition we want to do, right Roland?"

"Yeah!" the younger boy nodded emphatically, grinning. "We have to find the zucchini!"

"The zucchini?" Cora asked, clearly confused. 

Henry, Roland, and their parents all looked at each other and grinned, then Regina explained. “I hid a zucchini on the tree. It’s up the kids to find it. When they do,” she continued, extracting a bag of chocolate-covered peanut butter balls from the fridge. “They’ll get these peanut butter balls." 

As Henry had known they would, Will’s eyes went wide. He loved anything that included chocolate and peanut butter, and Henry and his mom had agreed that that was the perfect prize. "Are you sure only the kids can look for this zucchini?"

Regina's eyebrows rose, but Henry could see the hint of a smile on her face. Everything was going according to plan. "Do you really want to look for it? You do know that Robin and I will both call you a kid for the foreseeable future if you do this, right?"

"Of course!" Will assured them with a wave of his hand. "But you all knew that I'm young at heart, so that doesn't matter to me one bit."

"Suit yourself," his mom said with a shrug, and Henry had to bite back his laughter. She was really a great actress, she should get an Academy Award for her performance right now. 

Will made his way to where the tree was standing in the next room, Henry and Roland behind him. As they walked, Henry breathed in Roland's ear, "Remember, there's no zucchini, but we have to pretend to look for it, okay?"

Obviously remembering that they had to stay quiet so they didn't give away their scheme, Roland nodded. 

Once they were in the room, they all searched for the nonexistent zucchini. Will gradually became more and more frustrated, and Henry had to stifle his laughter more than once as he kept muttering things like "Where is that thing?" and "Regina, if you hid it behind other ornaments, I swear I'll…" 

As Henry had known he would, Will finally gave up after twenty minutes of searching. "All right, Regina, I give up. Where is that blasted thing?"

"Ask Henry and Roland," she told him, smirking, and Will rounded on them, fire blazing in his eyes and a suspicious frown on his face. 

"Just what did you two do?" he asked. 

"Nothing," Henry responded innocently, Roland nodding beside him. 

"Nothing?" Will answered skeptically, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure about that? Wait," he added, his eyes widening in realization. "You little rascals! There is no zucchini, is there?"

Henry, his mom, Roland and Robin all burst out laughing. "No, there's not," Robin informed him, smirking. 

"Wait," Will exclaimed, turning left and right to look at all four of them. "You were all in on it?"

"Of course," Robin shrugged. "Henry said you wanted to pull a prank on someone, and he knew we would want to do this prank with him, so we planned it while you and Ana were gazing longingly into each other's eyes, oblivious to everything else around you. It was too good to resist."

"All right, you got me," Will said, his hands raised. "Ana, clearly, we have a family of mischief-makers in our midst."

With that, the festivities were over- or, rather, they were shifting, as Cora left and Will and Ana prepared to go with them to the shelter. As they prepared to leave, Henry saw Robin slip something into his pocket, and he knew he would have to keep a close eye on the pair of them. He didn't want to miss a second of what was to come.

********

Regina couldn't believe it had been over a year now since she had first set foot in this shelter and come face-to-face with the most tumultuous part of her past. Being Henry's mom was nothing short of a dream come true, and she found it hard to believe sometimes that she had the most perfect boy in the world as her son.

Not that their relationship was flawless by any means. He was well-behaved, yes, but like any relationship, they had had their share of arguments over the past year, but for the most part, being Henry Mills' mom was a dream. 

That wasn't even counting how hard it had been to go through the court process and reclaim Henry as her son. Facing her past head-on, owning and making up for her past mistakes, was something Regina hadn't found easy. 

However, she was more thankful for Robin through the entire experience than she could ever say. He was the one who had constantly supported her throughout all of the changes in her life this year, and there had been some moments when she didn't know what she would've done without him. While he would insist that she had done all of the work, he was an integral part in the successes that she had achieved that year. Though it hadn't been easy to tell him how she felt at first- after all, she had lost the only other man she had ever dared to have feelings for- every day since she had taken that step brought them closer together, and now she couldn't imagine her life without him, and in fact could imagine building a life with him, something they had already started to do. 

She smiled now as she watched Robin play with the kids, Emma, and Will. He had such a fun-loving personality, something she had even suspected when he had worked for her at Regal Trinkets. She had learned through their relationship and talking to Henry that he was the perfect father figure: loving, but willing to correct one of his young friends if they were in the wrong.

She was lost in thought for a moment until she heard Emma get everyone's attention by tapping the microphone. She knew that this was likely the thank you speech that most of the younger residents of the shelter wouldn't pay attention to, so she prepared herself for tuning out of that was sure to be a boring speech.

Sure enough, she mostly ignored Emma's speech about the shelter's progress over the last year. That is, until she heard her name mentioned: "We're so thankful for all of the new friends we've made, young and old, including the mother of one of our own, Regina Mills."

Regina shook her head. Why they were bringing attention to her, she didn't know. She hadn't done anything to deserve the recognition she was receiving, especially since it was only correcting something awful that she had done years before. 

She stopped paying attention again as Emma concluded the speech, growing as antsy as the children, if she had to guess from their expressions. 

Finally, the speech was over and she went over to talk to Ana. "Where's Will?" she asked. The two of them were usually inseparable, do seeing them apart was unusual. 

"I'm not sure," Ana mused. "Let's go find them."

They exited the room and found the hallway outside, which led directly to Robin's office, covered in poinsettia petals, a flower that both of the women loved. "Seems like Will might be up to something," Regina thought aloud, remembering how she had pestered him to propose for months now.

Ana looked at her, surprise and disbelief in her eyes. "You think so? I've been dropping hints for what feels like forever. It's kind of hard to believe that this is actually going to happen after so long."

"We'll have to see, won't we?" Regina answered with a smile. They continued to follow the path and found a little note attached to a box that contained a bracelet and a charm with a pear on it. 

"What's this?" Ana wondered. She picked up the bag and the note and read it, a confused frown on her face. Her eyes suddenly grew as big as saucers. "Regina, I think this is for you."

"For me?" Regina repeated. "Are you sure?" All of this couldn't be for her. Yes, they had been living together for months now and had confessed their feelings for each other long ago, but it was much too soon for him to propose… wasn't it?

"I think so," Ana replied softly, her grin broadening as Regina took the paper from her.

"For a year now, I've known we're

A team, we're the perfect pair."

Regina's mouth fell open. Despite her tough exterior, she had always secretly loved poetry, something Robin had found out one night when he had discovered a book of poetry in the drawer of her nightstand. He had teased her for it at first, then, seeing that she tensed up, changed his tactic. Now, every chance he got, he would leave her little poems that he had written in random places… just like he was doing now. 

She wandered down the path, finding another note attached to a box that contained a charm that had a pair of interlocking turtle doves on it, their heads and beaks forming a heart. Smiling because she had a feeling she knew where this was going, she opened the note that had been attached to the box that contained the second charm.

Sure enough, she found that the note contained a poem: 

Like these two small turtle doves,

For each other, we'll be there.

She kept walking, and found a third and fourth box sitting on a windowsill that contained more charms: three french hens and four calling birds. Regina smiled as she opened the next notes, revealing the following poems inside:

I love how you care for kids,

Especially our two boys.

Your love for them always shines

Playing sports or with their toys.

She moved to the next packages, a charm with five interlocking golden rings and a goose sitting on a nest.

The poems read: 

These might seem random, but know

With these, we have a fresh start

You've always been by my side

Now we'll never be apart.

His words made her realize that despite her initial skepticism, she may be right that Robin was proposing that night. She was suddenly glad that she was wearing her favorite red dress instead of something more casual.

Next, she found a swan swimming in what appeared to be a pond and a woman with an apron and a pail for gathering milk. Nestled between them was yet another piece of the poem Robin had written: 

I love you, Regina Mills,

And always will, forever.

From the start, I've known that you're

Strong, loving, and clever.

A woman who looked like she was dancing and a man who appeared to be jumping were the next charms they found. Beside them was another note:

For you, a humble request,

To a girl from a modest boy.

If you would just agree,

Like this lord, I'll leap for joy..

By this point, her heart was beating wildly in her chest, her breathing shallow. She was sure now what his question would be, judging by the elaborate presentation of the different charms for the bracelet he had given her. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready for him to ask, but she also had a feeling that at the end of the day, she knew what her answer would be.

When she reached the last boxes and the final poem, she half expected Robin to be waiting for her, but to her surprise, he was nowhere to be found.

She unfolded the note that had lain under the piper and drummer charms, her hands shaking. The words of the last poem took her breath away:

This question will shift our love

Will be a bond of love for life:

So can I dare to ask you:

Marry me, to be my wife?

Tears were now falling down Regina's cheeks as she looked up to find Robin, who was now kneeling in front of her. Looking around, she found that Ana was nowhere to be seen, likely slipping away into one of the surrounding rooms to give them some privacy. 

Her attention returned to Robin, and he held out his hand to her, a small black box- one of many that night, she couldn't help noting- in his hand. 

"Regina, when I stepped into your shop a year ago, I never imagined how much asking for your help with giving gifts to the children here would change my life. In the past year, you’ve shown me how strong you are and how generous you can be, but most of all how much love you have in your heart. When I first met you, I never would have suspected that you have a soft spot for children, Watching you love and nurture both your son and my own over the past year has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I love you with all my heart and soul. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

The tears hadn’t stopped (if anything, they had only gotten worse), Wiping furiously to dry her eyes and regain her composure, Regina nodded. 

She laughed as Robin swept her up into his arms. He kissed her passionately, his tongue claiming hers with a fervor unmatched by any kiss they had shared before. She lost herself for a moment, then, when she had come back to herself, she looked down at the ring. It was small with a thick silver band, with an amethyst in the middle- simple, just the way she liked it. 

Seeing what had drawn her attention, Robin inquired nervously, “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful- perfect, in fact,” she complimented. 

“Look inside,” he breathed in her ear. Extracting the ring from the box, she held it up to the light and read the inscription: _ To the woman who gave a home to the homeless and captured my heart, 12.25.19. _

“I love it,” she told him as he slid the ring onto her finger. Yes, it was 2020, but she appreciated that he had not chosen the date of their engagement, but the date when their relationship officially began and Henry first came home with her, as the date on her ring.

She was brought out of her thoughts when they were suddenly surrounded by applause as Henry, Roland, Will and Ana came up to them, August and Emma not far behind them. Will and August cheered for them while Henry shouted, “I knew she’d say yes!”, holding up the camera he had obviously been using to capture the moment. She had given it to him for Christmas the previous year along with a strap with his name on it, guessing that he might want to capture memories of his new life. She had been right- he had used it whenever he could over the past year. “I told you, Robin!”

Robin held out his arm for him and she brought Roland close. “You did,” Robin chuckled. 

“I helped him pick it out! Henry informed her proudly.

“And you did a wonderful job, it’s perfect,” Regina praised her son. 

“Does this mean I can call you ‘Mama,’ Gina?” Roland asked innocently, hope in his chocolate eyes. 

She smiled, hugging him tightly. “Of course, my little hobbit.”

“And… Robin, can I call you ‘Dad’? Please?” Henry asked, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice. He was probably overwhelmed by the fact that he had gained a mother, grandmother, brother, and father all in the same year. Although from what Regina had gathered in the past year, he had already had a father in Robin.

As she had suspected, Robin agreed with her unspoken thoughts, which he proved with his next words: “Of course, Henry. I’ve always thought of you as my son.”

“Group hug!” Roland shouted, and the older members of the Mills-Locksley family laughed, coming together into a many-armed embrace. Smiling down at Henry and Roland, then looking up into Robin’s ocean blue eyes, which were filled with a love the full extent of which she may never know, she knew that yes, she had given Henry a home a year ago, but it was her who had finally found a family.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read this! I really hope you enjoyed it and have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!


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